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AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

H«W  YORK  •   BOSTON  •   CHICAGO  •   DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •   SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limitbd 

LONDON  •   BOMBAY  •   CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TOKOHTO     ^ 


^Amateur  Circus  Life 


A  new  method  of  physical  de- 
velopment for  Boys  and  Girls 

Based  on  The  Ten  Elements  of  Simple 
Tumbling  and  adapted  from  the  prac- 
tice of  professional  acrobats 


BY 

ERNEST  BALCH 


Nrm  fork 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1922 

All  rizhu  reserved 


(k^i 


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I 


Copyright,  1916. 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published,  November,   1916. 


T^^sr^i 


The  illustrations  in  this  book  are  prepared  from  photo- 
graphs of  boy  amateurs  taught  in  classes  by  this  method 
of  physical  training.  My  thanks  are  due  to  them,  to  the 
Cloyne  House  School,  Newport,  St.  Thomas  Chapel 
Gymnasium  and  the  Madison  Square  Church  House 
Gymnasium,  New  York  City. 

This  book  is  written  for  the  comfort  and  aid  of  boys 
and  girls  of  twelve  to  sixteen  and  of  their  older  friends 
who  are  interested  in  their  development. 

The  Author. 


504ii.i3 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  Tumbling .  i 

II  Health,  Strength,  Grace       ....  3 

III  The  Ten  Elements  of  Simple  Tumbling  8 

IV  Preparation  for  a  Show 36 

V  A  Show  at  a  Boarding  School    ...  62 

VI     Costumes  and  Discipline       ....     71 

VII    Clown  Work 78 

VIII     Fake      Elephant.      Fake      Lion      Act. 

Thrillers 88 

IX    Training  Animals 99 

X  The  Old-Fashioned  Minstrel  Show      .  107 

XI    Costs  and  Charges 129 

XII     Sleeping  Out  of  Doors 134 

XIII  For  the  Instructor 144 

XIV  For  Parents 162 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Curtain  Rises Frontispiece 

FACING 
FIGURE  PAGE 

1.  Salute  No.  i 12 

2.  Practising  the  Roll.     Salute  No.  2  .     .  13 

3.  Headstands 14 

4.  Bridge  and  Handstand 14 

5.  Middle  Position  in  Cartwheels      .     .     .15 

6.  The  Wheelbarrow 18 

7.  8  and  9.    The  2-High  Fall 19 

10.  The  Method  of  Teaching  a  Bender  Used 

BY  Archange  Tuccaro 19 

11.  Pyramid.    Adoration 24 

12.  Pyramid.    Path  to  the  Stars    ....  25 

13.  Diving 28 

14.  A  Star  Diver  Landing  on  the  Mat  Just 

Before  He  Ducks  His  Head  and  Rolls  .  29 

15.  Hoops.     No.  2  Salute 30 

16.  Planche 32 

17.  18,  19  AND  20.    Practise  Throws     ...  33 

21.  Double  Walk 33 

22.  Double  Roll 46 

23.  Easy  Pyramid 47 

24.  Table  and  Chair  Act.     Forward  Fall     .  50 

25.  Table  and  Chair  Act 51 

26.  Way  to  Shape  a  Clown  Costume  ...  76 

27.  Clown  Ruffs.    Pair  of  Hoops  ....  76 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
FIGURE  PAGE 

28.     Elephant    Hook.     Sample    Buttons    for 

Eyes 76 

29  AND  30.     Easy  Pyramids 77 

31.  Dead  Man 77 

32.  Practising  Handbalance  on  a  Chair  .     .  77 

33.  34j  35  and  36.     The  Reader 84 

37,  38  and  39.     Clown  Act  with  Chair     .      .     85 

40,  41,  42  and  43.     Hypnotism     . 

44  and  45.     Hypnotism 

46.  The  Serenade  (Encore) 

47.  Director  E.  C.  Ostlin  and  a  Tum- 

bling Class  in  a  New  York  City 
Gymnasium 

48.  49,  50  AND  51.     Floor  Rolls 96 

52  AND  53.    Advanced  Work 97 

54,  55  and  56.     The  Winter  Camp  .      .     .     .136 
57  and  58.    Advanced  Work 137 


BETWEEN 
PAGES 

86,  87 


FACING 
PAGE 


AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 


AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

CHAPTER  I 

TUMBLING 

Tumbling  is  known  to  have  great  value  for 
physical  development.  It  is  the  best  basis  of 
all  gymnastics.  Occasionally  it  is  taught  to 
advanced  amateurs — or  attempts  at  teaching  it 
are  made.  But  it  is  never  taught  systematically, 
for  no  system  has  yet  been  devised  to  adapt 
tumbling  practically  for  the  use  of  amateurs. 

The  chief  mistake  consists  in  trying  to  teach 
to  beginners  one  of  the  most  dangerous  of  all 
tumbling  tricks,  the  somersault  in  the  air,  or 
*air-turn'  as  it  is  called.  To  learn  this  one 
must  have  an  exceptional  teacher,  must  have 
a  muscular  development  quite  uncommon 
among  pupils  of  12-16,  and  must  practise  un- 
remittingly. Such  conditions  are  very  rare 
indeed. 

The  fine  art  of  tumbling  is  generally  at- 


2  AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

tempted  in  the  wrong  way  and  is  hardly  ever 
taught  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  12-16  who 
would  most  benefit  by  it. 

What  is  needed  is  a  system  of  simple  tum- 
bling which  can  be  taught  in  classes  by  people 
who  are  not  acrobats,  which  will  delight  the 
pupil,  will  be  progressive  in  its  various  feats, 
and  sufficiently  difficult  to  remain  interesting 
for  two  or  three  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
period  the  pupil  can  go  on  to  advanced  tum- 
bling, or  better  still,  if  there  be  opportunity,  to 
fine  competitive  athletics. 

Since  Archange  Tuccaro  wrote,  I  find  no 
one  who  has  discussed  the  philosophy  of  this 
method  of  developing  the  body.  Therefore 
this  book  is  written.  It  proposes  to  employ 
the  simpler  movements  of  tumbling,  system- 
atise them,  arrange  them  for  classes,  and  so 
utilise  the  deep  interest  of  boys  and  girls  in 
the  circus,  the  vaudeville  stage — in  a  word, 
the  acrobatic  art — as  an  impelling  force,  that 
they  will  joyfully  endure  the  tedious  and  pro- 
longed practice  which  develops  perfect  bodies. 


CHAPTER  II 

HEALTH,  STRENGTH,   GRACE 

Every  one  desires  to  be  well,  strong,  and 
graceful.  Every  one  understands  more  or  less 
clearly  that  one  is  more  likely  to  reach  the  best 
in  life  if  he  or  she  is  well,  strong,  and  graceful. 
The  point  is  to  become  so,  not  simply  to  talk 
about  it. 

People  between  twelve  and  sixteen  years 
old  as  a  rule  have  the  time  and  opportunity  to 
get  strength,  health,  and  grace;  at  least  they 
have  the  time  to  do  what  this  book  will  tell  you 
to  do.  Some  of  them  have  the  opportunity  to 
play  many  games  and  get  a  little  calisthenics 
or  drill.  But  very  few  have  the  time  to  play 
enough  games  to  obtain  the  best  results.  So 
this  book  is  written  to  explain  how  the  many, 
who  lack  time  and  games  enough,  may  get  the 
best  of  health,  strength,  and  grace  and  mean- 
while have  the  good  time  which  helps  to  make 

3 


4         AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

up  for  the  tedious  work,  patience,  and  courage 
needed. 

The  delightful  experience  of  taking  part  in 
a  good  successful  show  is  worth  a  lot  of  prac- 
tise, especially  if  one  feels  that  strength  and 
grace  are  coming  steadily. 

Health,  generally  speaking,  is  the  result 
of  the  exercises  one  must  practise  in  order 
to  get  strength  and  grace.  Or  as  an 
instructor  might  put  it,  strength  comes  from 
the  proper  developrnent  of  the  muscles  and 
grace  from  the  efficient  control  of  the  muscles 
by  the  nerves  and  brain.  It  is  not  nec- 
essary between  twelve  and  sixteen  to  bother 
much  with  the  theory  of  all  this,  only  to  fix 
one's  mind  and  will  upon  a  steady  daily 
practise  of  these  ten  elements  about  to  be  de- 
scribed. If  in  addition  to  this  you  get  a  little 
calisthenics  or  drill  every  day  in  school  and  a 
fair  amount  of  games,  in  a  year  or  two  you  will 
find  that  you  have  health,  strength,  and  grace. 
With  these  precious  possessions  everything  you 
wish  to  do  in  life  will  be  just  so  much  easier. 
Good  dancing,  star  tennis,  good  work  in 
school,  fine  quick  work  in  an  office,  shop,  or 


HEALTH,  STRENGTH,  GRACE       5 

factory;  in  short,  efficiency — all  the  things 
which  are  so  very  desirable,  will  be  so  much 
the  easier  to  attain. 

It  is  a  common  idea  that  the  best  muscles 
are  hard,  bulky  muscles.  This  is  not  true. 
For  a  boy  or  girl  the  most  valuable  kind  of 
muscle  is  soft  when  flexed.  What  is  needed  is 
strong  quickly  responsive  muscle,  and  this 
means  soft  muscles  when  flexed — hard  when 
contracted.  Heavy  work  produces  slow  hard 
muscles.  Sandow  acquired  a  very  fine  devel- 
opment starting  with  a  not  very  wonderful 
body.  He  did  it  by  light  work.  His  muscles 
flexed  were  very  soft.  By  endless  practice  and 
patience  and  much  time  spent  he  had  acquired 
an  unusual  control  of  them.  I  was  much  im- 
pressed to  see  him  call  the  name  and  bunch  up 
a  muscle  of  the  back  that  most  of  us  do  not 
know  by  name  and  have  no  separate  control 
of. 

Also,  a  common  diflSculty  with  boys  who 
stick  too  much  to  heavy  work  or  calisthenics  is 
that  their  muscles  "go  dead,"  become  stale. 
You  see  this  also  with  professional  acrobats 
who  are  ignorant  and  practise  too  much;  or 


6         AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

boxers  who  do  not  train  intelligently.  The 
boy  or  girl  at  fourteen  should  be  full  of  life, 
quick  in  all  movements.  Instructors  have  to 
look  out  for  this.  I  have  always  found  it  best 
to  practise  simple  tumbling  about  an  hour  not 
more  than  six  times  a  week,  if  possible  not 
more  than  once  a  day,  and  to  rest  two  full  days 
before  a  show. 

When  you  see  the  perfect  grace  of  a  good 
trapeze  performer,  remember  that  it  results 
from  instantaneous  or,  better  said,  perfect  con- 
trol of  the  muscles  by  the  brain  and  nerves, 
and  that  such  grace  may  be  yours  if  you  will 
pay  the  same  price  of  steady,  conscientious 
practise  of  the  ten  elements  of  simple  tum- 
bling. 

Now  there  is  no  such  thing  as  an  impromptu 
on  the  stage  or  in  the  circus. 

Amateurs  who  try  to  do  something  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment  simply  make  fools  of 
themselves  and  bore  their  audience.  Either 
you  know  your  act  or  you  do  not. 

If  you  know  it,  you  can  do  it  at  any  time. 
To  know  your  act  means  to  know  every  little 
turn  so  that  you  can  always  do  each  movement 


HEALTH,  STRENGTH,  GRACE      7 

properly,  smile  at  the  right  time,  and  make 
your  points. 

In  the  ^Tath  to  the  Stars,"  for  instance  (see 
illustration  12),  the  Topmounter — that  is,  the 
boy  at  the  top  of  the  pyramid — must  walk  up 
erect  with  a  gallant  air. 

If  he  goes  up  on  his  hands  and  feet  he  looks 
like  a  monkey  and  spoils  the  picture.  When 
on  the  Understander's  shoulders,  he  must  be 
firmly  held  or  he  cannot  do  his  work.  All  the 
staircase  must  stand  solidly.  So  it  is  and  must 
be  with  anything  you  wish  to  present  before 
an  audience.  It  is  necessary  to  learn  it  prop- 
erly and  thoroughly. 

Therefore  the  best  way  is  to  really  master 
the  ten  elements  at  the  beginning,  although  I 
will  here  make  the  exception  that  a  good  show 
can  be  given  before  any  member  of  the  class 
has  learned  the  front  and  back  handspring. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  TEN   ELEMENTS  OF  SIMPLE  TUMBLING 

We  cannot  in  this  world  do  anything  much 
worth  doing  without  some  tedious  study  and 
work.  Into  this  chapter  I  will  put  all  the 
study  and  work  that  is  required.  Get  it  thor- 
oughly and  all  the  rest  will  be  interesting  and 
delightful.  If  you  do  not  learn  it  thoroughly 
you  will  not  succeed  in  what  you  wish  to  do. 
All  of  these  directions  are  put  in  for  a  good 
reason  and  nothing  is  here  written  which  it  is 
unnecessary  to  learn.  The  best  way  to  learn 
these  elements  is  to  master  one  or  two  at  a  time 
and  get  some  one  to  tell  you,  if  you  are  not 
fortunate  enough  to  have  an  instructor, 
whether  or  not  you  do  each  thing  properly. 

The  last — the  handsprings — you  will  hardly 

learn  without  an  instructor.     Two  working 

together  can  sufficiently  help  each  other  on 

the    other    nine    elements.     Remember    that 

daily  practise  of  simple  tumbling  for  about  an 

8 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  9 

hour,  five  and  not  more  than  six  times  a  week, 
is  what  you  need  and  the  price  you  must  pay 
supposing  that  you  are  enthusiastic  and  deter- 
mined to  achieve  a  splendidly  developed  body. 
As  I  have  said,  there  is  rarely  time  enough  to 
do  this  by  playing  games.  That  becomes  clear 
as  one  grows  older.  Apparatus  work  amounts 
to  little  before  sixteen  and  calisthenics  can  be 
taken  only  in  limited  quantities.  Once  the 
boy  or  girl  of  12-16  obtains  a  good  develop- 
ment these  things  are  all  fine,  but  before  the 
development  comes  they  are  not  very  practical. 
Simple  tumbling  you  can  begin  at  ten,  and  it 
will  quickly  bring  the  development  you  need 
for  other  things. 

As  far  as  I  know,  there  is  no  good  book  on 
tumbling  for  boys.  All  that  I  have  seen  de- 
sire the  learner  to  master  back  and  front  hand- 
springs, and,  above  all,  the  air-turns — back, 
front,  full-  and  half-twisters.  Very  good  if 
you  are  to  be  a  professional  and  have  the  time 
to  practise;  but  how  many  boys  who  work  or 
go  to  school  can  give  the  necessary  three  hours 
a  day  and  command  the  instruction  of  a  good 
acrobat  while  practising?     In  no  other  way 


lo        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

can  you  learn  these  hard  tricks.  Also,  on  ac- 
count of  the  danger,  it  is  foolish  to  try  air-turns 
unless,  besides  having  the  required  time  and 
supervision,  you  are  old  enough  to  be  very 
careful.  Nearly  all  the  accidents  among  pro- 
fessionals, careful  as  they  are,  come  from  air- 
turns.  A  little  slip  or  balk,  and  there  is  a 
broken  leg  or  worse.  So  for  boys  v^ho  have 
little  time  to  practise,  it  is  better  to  cut  out  air- 
turns  altogether.  Leave  air-turns  alone  until 
you  get  to  college,  and  master  these  other  tricks 
I  am  going  to  tell  you  about.  For  they  are  not 
risky  and  w^ill  enable  you  to  give  as  pretty  a 
show  as  you  like. 

The  best  way  to  practise  a  class  is  to  form 
them  in  line  according  to  size,  the  smallest 
first,  and  bring  each  on  the  mat  in  turn  to  try 
the  trick.  A  class  is  best  composed  of  two 
little  boys  for  Topmounters,  two  big  boys  for 
Understanders  and  four  medium  sized  for 
other  parts,  and  the  same  is  true  for  a  class  of 
girls. 

If  there  are  too  many  in  the  line,  it  takes  too 
long  a  time  to  get  around  and  each  is  standing 
still  too  long.     Eight  more  or  less  green  boys 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  ii 

is  the  right  number — ten  when  they  are  well 
broken  in — and  when  the  class  has  been  trained 
a  while,  you  can  work  two  classes  side  by 
side. 

The  first  thing  to  do,  as  the  class  practises,  is 
to  settle  upon  the  Topmounter.  For  pyra- 
mids and  all  double  work,  such  as  2-High 
Falls,  the  Topmounters  ought  to  be  intelligent 
and  brave,  as  light  as  possible,  and  also  strong 
and  obedient.  Very  important  work  is  that 
of  these  Topmounters.  If  they  do  not  know 
their  parts,  the  Understanders  cannot  do  theirs. 

The  ten  elements  of  simple  tumbling  to  be 
mastered  are:  The  Salute.  The  Roll.  The 
Headstand.  Cart-wheels.  Handstand.  Hand- 
walking.  Double  Work.  Handsprings.  Pyra- 
mids.    Diving.^ 

The  Salute.    This  is  very  important. 

You  will  see  all  performers  at  a  circus  salute 

1  The  order  in  which  these  are  practised  must  vary  according 
to  the  needs  of  the  class  and  the  judgment  of  the  instructor.  It 
is  not  well  to  work  too  long  at  any  one.  I  begin  always  with 
the  first  three.  Pyramids  may  come  in  at  any  time,  the  front 
handsprings  after  handstands  and  diving.  Back  handsprings 
I  leave  to  the  last.  The  roll  is  the  most  important.  The 
shoulder-mount  and  the  2-High  Fall  are  naturally  used  in 
"brother  acts";  but  if  the  instructor  cares  to  do  the  work  of 
Understander,  these  are  very  useful  for  all  the  class  in  teaching 
nerve  and  balance. 


12        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

the  audience  with  their  hands  before  they  be- 
gin, and  they  use  the  same  method  of  express- 
ing thanks  for  applause — if  they  get  any. 
This  courteous  custom  has  come  down  for  hun- 
dreds of  years  from  the  Roman  and  Greek 
shows.  It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  teach 
boys.  Girls  learn  it  more  easily.  There  are  a 
number  of  styles,  but  two  are  sufficient  for 
ordinary  use.  The  first  is  shown  in  illustra- 
tion I.  Feet  opened  out,  heels  together, 
body  straight  in  balance,  head  up,  smile,  arms 
raised,  and  bent  a  little  at  the  elbow,  the  edge 
of  the  hand  toward  the  audience,  hands 
slightly  cupped,  fingers  and  thumb  close  to- 
gether. The  whole  position  should  be  grace- 
ful and  balanced.  In  the  illustration  the  class 
is  trying  to  do  it,  and  there  is  something  wrong 
with  each  one  after  three  weeks'  practise. 
Probably  this  class,  an  exceptionally  clever  lot, 
could  not  master  this  simple  position  without 
two  months'  steady  effort. 

The  second  style  is  well  shown  in  illustra- 
tion 2.  The  arms  must  be  level  with  the 
shoulders,  and  exactly  in  line  with  them, 
neither  forward  nor  back,  head  erect,  smile, 


%^^ 


« m 


o  § 

1-4   bo 
<   § 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  13 

heels  together,  fingers  and  thumb  closed,  hands 
flat,  easy  balance.  It  is  especially  useful  at 
the  end  of  the  roll. 

Now  we  begin  to  work  on  the  mat;  one  fif- 
teen feet  long  by  three  feet  wide  is  the  best, 
and  two  to  three  inches  thick.  (Only  for  style 
in  show-time  lay  a  red  carpet  over  it,  which 
must  not  be  slippery.)  Such  a  mat  costs  about 
fifteen  dollars,  and  other  accessories,  such  as 
hoops,  et  cetera,  three  or  four  dollars. 

The  Roll.  (Illustration  2.)  Place  your 
hands  on  the  mat,  duck  your  head,  roll  on  your 
rounded  back  over  and  up  on  your  feet,  draw- 
ing them  in  well.  In  doing  this  you  must  not 
strike  your  head  nor  bump  your  back.  All 
your  weight  should  be  carried  on  the  hands  and 
back.  To  duck  your  head  and  keep  it  from 
striking  the  mat  is  the  most  important  part  of 
the  roll.  You  hit  the  mat  first  with  the  shoul- 
ders. Gradually  you  will  learn  to  carry 
nearly  all  your  weight  on  the  hands  and  roll 
smoothly  and  easily  on  your  rounded  back 
without  bumping  it,  and  evenly  up  on  to  your 
feet.  When  you  are  on  your  feet,  stand  up 
straight  and  make  a  salute  with  your  hands. 


14       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

If  you  overbalance  forward  or  back,  throw 
your  head  the  opposite  way  and  that  will  stop 
you.  Do  not  try  the  roll  without  a  mat  until 
you  have  thoroughly  mastered  it.  Do  not  go 
on  to  the  dive  until  you  have  the  roll  com- 
pletely and  correctly.  You  need  the  roll  to 
finish  nearly  all  tricks,  and  it  is  best  to  learn 
it  first. 

A  smooth,  easy  roll,  made  without  striking 
the  head  or  bumping  the  back  and  then  com- 
ing to  a  standing  position  with  a  good  balance, 
requires  steady  work.  Do  it  slowly  at  first, 
until  you  get  the  right  motion,  then,  after  a  lot 
of  practise,  faster  and  faster.  The  hands 
should  never  be  placed  on  the  legs,  as  in  illus- 
tration 2. 

The  Headstand.  Having  made  sure  of 
the  roll,  the  next  thing  is  to  learn  to  stand  on 
your  head. 

Mark  out  on  the  mat  a  triangle  measuring 
twelve  to  eighteen  inches  on  each  side.  Place 
your  head  on  one  point  and  your  hands  on  the 
other  two.  The  instructor  may  take  hold  of 
your  ankles  and  pull  you  up  straight.  Push 
on  your  hands  and  keep  the  weight  on  your 


3.  HEADSTANDS 


4.  BRIDGE  AND  HANDSTAND 


5.     Middle  Position  in 
Cartwheels 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  15 

hands  and  head.  When  the  body  is  straight 
up  over  your  head — the  top  of  your  head,  not 
the  forehead — put  your  legs  up  straight  and 
point  your  toes.  After  enough  practise  you 
can  do  this  alone.  Get  some  one  to  tell  you 
if  head,  neck,  body,  legs  and  toes  are  in  one 
straight  line  (illustration  3).  Until  you  are 
used  to  the  upside-down  position,  it  con- 
fuses you,  and  until  the  muscles  become  strong 
you  cannot  push  up  to,  and  hold,  a  correct  po- 
sition. The  hands,  of  course,  are  to  the  front. 
At  first,  being  upside-down,  you  will  naturally 
put  them  at  the  back.  Also,  at  first  you  will 
push  too  hard  on  the  hands,  perhaps,  and  go 
over.  Then  duck  your  head  and  roll  over  to 
your  feet.  Do  not  get  discouraged  if  you  can- 
not get  this  quickly.  Two  of  the  boys  in  the 
picture  learned  it  in  three  weeks.  When  you 
have  it,  you  can  place  your  hands  and  head 
correctly  on  the  mat,  get  your  weight  on  the 
hands  and  head,  draw  the  feet  and  knees  close 
to  the  body,  push  all  straight  up  over  the  head, 
shove  the  feet  straight  up  in  line,  pointing  the 
toes,  and  hold  that  position.  Not  for  long, 
however,  nor  to  do  it  longer  than  some  other 


i6       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

boy.  Nothing  is  more  silly  or  useless  than  to 
try  that. 

Cart-wheels.  A  cart-wheel  is  left  or 
right,  depending  upon  which  hand  touches 
the  mat  first.  We  begin  with  the  left.  Place 
the  left  hand  on  the  mat;  throw  the  right  leg 
up  in  the  air;  jump  with  the  left  leg,  throwing 
yourself  so  as  to  land  on  the  right  hand,  both 
legs  being  up  in  the  air;  then  turn  and  land 
first  on  the  right  leg  and  then  on  the  left.  The 
arms,  as  in  the  handsprings,  must  be  stiff,  and, 
at  the  finish  of  the  turn,  the  right  gives  a  shove 
which  brings  you  up  quicker  to  the  standing 
position  in  which  you  began.  The  instructor, 
or  any  one  else,  will  help  you,  standing  at  your 
back  and  holding  you  around  the  waist.  As 
long  as  you  keep  the  arms  stiff,  nothing  can 
happen  except  to  tumble  backward  on  the 
floor.  The  true  position  is  with  the  arms  and 
legs  as  in  illustration  5,  like  the  spokes  of  a 
wheel,  and,  when  you  get  an  even  motion,  the 
arms  and  legs  will  be  a  little  bent. 

The  right  cart-wheel  is  the  same,  except  that 
you  begin  with  the  right  hand  down  and  the 
back  turned  the  other  way. 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  17 

The  most  effective  trick  in  cart-wheels  is 
to  throw  a  string  of  rights  and  lefts  alter- 
nately, but  this — though  well  worth  the 
effort — takes  a  great  deal  of  practise,  and 
does  not  look  well  unless  done  quickly  and 
smoothly. 

Handstand.  Place  the  hands  on  the  mat 
about  two  feet  apart;  keep  the  arms  stiff; 
curve  the  body  and  legs  up  in  the  air;  curve 
the  head  up  as  far  as  you  can ;  put  the  feet  to- 
gether and  point  the  toes;  do  not  bend  the 
knees ;  bend  the  body  at  the  waist  as  much  as 
you  can.  After  practise  you  will  get  a  bal- 
ance which  you  can  hold.  At  first,  in  practis- 
ing the  handstand,  you  need  some  one  to  hold 
you  in  position.  Then  practise  against  the 
wall.  Place  your  hands  on  the  floor  about 
eighteen  inches  from  the  wall,  or  whatever  dis- 
tance suits  your  height.  Keep  the  arms  stiff; 
throw  one  foot  up  against  the  wall  and  then 
the  other.  In  coming  down,  put  one  foot 
down  on  the  floor  first  then  the  other,  and  you 
will  not  bruise  your  knees.  Keep  the  arms 
stiff,  so  as  not  to  crumple  up  and  bang  your 
head  on  the  floor.     Curve  the  body  as  much  as 


i8        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

you  can  and  keep  the  head  well  up.  (See 
handstand  in  illustrations  4  and  23. 

After  you  get  the  balance  against  the  wall, 
push  away  an  inch  or  so  with  your  heels  and 
hold  the  balance.  Do  this  two  or  three  times 
night  and  morning,  and  in  a  few  weeks  you 
can  do  it  on  the  mat  without  any  one  to  help 
you.  Then  you  can  begin,  little  by  little,  to 
walk  on  your  hands.  Always  come  down 
from  the  handstand  on  the  mat  by  ducking 
your  head  and  doing  a  roll. 

Handwalking.  To  practise  this,  use  the 
trick  called  the  ^Wheelbarrow."  (Illustra- 
tion 6.)  Let  half  the  class  stand  on  their 
hands,  and  the  other  half  take  the  feet  of 
the  first  half  on  their  shoulders.  The  four 
doubles  walk  in  file  from  the  stage  steps  to 
the  mat,  and  up  and  down  the  strong  little 
handwalking  double  staircase  of  two  treads 
on  each  side,  each  step  being  four  inches  high, 
eight  wide,  and  sixteen  long.  After  coming 
down  the  staircase,  each  pair  do  a  roll,  finish- 
ing with  the  second  salute. 

Double  Work.  The  first  thing  to  teach  in 
double  work,  is  the  shoulder-mount.     Take 


A 

W^m. 

i^^ 

JJij" 

«st 

lo.     The    method    of    teaching 
a  bender  used  by  Archange  Tuc- 


THE  2-HIGH  FALL 


7.  1st  Position  9.    No.  2  Salute 

8.  Falling. 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS 


19 


the  Topmounter's  hands  as  shown  in  illustra- 
tion A.  He  places  the  right  foot  on  your  bent 
right  leg  as  near  the  body  as  he  can  (illustra- 
tion b).     Pull  him  up,  and  he  can  place  the 


other  foot  up  on  your  left  shoulder  (illustra- 
tion c).  He  then  draws  up  the  right  foot  to 
your  right  shoulder,  and  stands  erect,  steady- 
ing himself  by  pressing  his  legs  against  the 
sides  of  your  head.  You,  the  Understander, 
then  drop  the  Topmounter's  hands  and  hold 
his  legs  tightly  against  your  head,  grasping 


20        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

them  just  below  the  knees.  Both  stand 
straight  as  in  illustration  D.  The  Topmounter 
must  hold  his  head  up,  fold  his  arms,  and 
smile — always  practise  smiling.  At  first  the 
Topmounter  is  wobbly  and  walks  all  over 
your  neck — he  is  so  scared.  If  the  Top- 
mounter  loses  his  balance  (there  must  always 
be  some  one  placed  behind  to  watch  and  catch 
him  at  first),  the  Understander  should  lean 
forward  so  he  can  jump  to  the  mat.  Be  care- 
ful not  to  hold  his  legs  and  trip  him.  Before 
long,  the  Topmounter  will  learn  to  go  up 
straight,  keeping  close  to  the  Understander. 
The  Understander  must  not  straighten  up 
his  right  leg  until  the  Topmounter  has  his  left 
foot  firmly  planted  on  his  shoulder  and  has 
begun  to  pull  up  to  position.  As  soon  as  both 
are  in  good  balance,  try  the  fall.  Both  lean 
forward  and  fall,  keeping  in  a  straight  line 
(illustrations  7,  8  and  9)  until  the  Top- 
mounter  cannot  stay  any  longer  on  the  Under- 
stander's  shoulders.  He  jumps  to  the  mat, 
and  both  do  a  roll,  coming  to  the  salute  as  in 
the  illustration.  In  this  picture  the  less 
trained  of  the  two  Topmounters  has  crumpled 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  21 

up,  his  Understander  is  trying  to  hold  him, 
and  the  two  are  not  in  line  nor  in  balance. 
He  is  also  looking  sideways  and  not  straight 
ahead  in  the  first  position.  After  both  Top- 
mounters  are  in  position  and  ready,  the  man- 
ager gives  a  signal  for  the  fall.  One  pair  is 
at  each  end  at  opposite  sides  of  the  mat,  and, 
falling  past  each  other,  a  pleasing  effect  is 
produced.  If  the  rolls  are  smartly  done,  an 
audience  will  hardly  notice  a  little  defect  in 
the  fall,  but  the  camera  shows  it  clearly.  The 
Understander  must  be  careful  not  to  hold  the 
Topmounter's  legs  so  as  to  trip  him  when  he 
wishes  to  jump. 

Handsprings.  These  are  back  and  front 
according  to  the  direction  you  go.  The  back 
handspring  is  generally  called  a  back  flip. 

In  learning  handsprings  use  a  "mechanic." 
This  is  a  broad  strong  belt  of  canvas,  soft 
enough  not  to  cut,  which  buckles  around  the 
waist  with  two  or  three  small  straps.  Fasten 
two  small  rings  outside  in  the  middle  line  of 
the  belt  and  a  little  back  of  where  the  arms 
fall,  and  in  them  catch  two  snap-hooks,  with 
swivel  heads,  fastened  at  the  end  of  soft  ropes 


22        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

about  three  feet  long.  These  ropes  are 
strongly  held  by  a  person  at  each  side,  so  that, 
when  you  throw  back,  you  will  not  strike  your 
head  on  the  mat. 

It  is  sometimes  convenient  to  pass  two  long 
%-inch  ropes  through  one  single  and  one 
double  pulley  (fastened  high  up  about  twelve 
feet  apart)  and  attached  to  the  belt  ropes. 
Both  come  down  on  the  same  side  of  the  mat 
and  the  instructor  can  hold  both  in  one  hand, 
leaving  a  hand  free  to  help  the  pupil  turn. 

Now  throw  your  hands  over  your  head; 
curve  your  body  back;  keep  your  arms  stiff; 
land  on  your  hands  on  the  mat;  jump  with 
your  feet,  and  throw  them  over  to  the  mat. 
At  first  you  will  not  get  over,  and  the  instruc- 
tor will  help  you  with  one  hand.  Be  sure  to 
keep  the  arms  stiff  so  as  not  to  knock  the  head, 
and  presently  you  will  begin  to  get  over  alone. 
After  that,  you  do  not  need  the  mechanic,  and 
the  instructor  can  put  one.  hand  under  your 
back  and  help  a  little  until  you  can  do  this 
back  flip  alone.  Always  practise  on  a  mat  at 
first  or  you  will  bruise  your  hands  and  feet. 

I  have  prepared  a  show  without  attempting 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  23 

the  back  handspring,  and  gotten  on  very  well; 
but,  naturally,  each  additional  element  of  the 
ten  enables  you  to  make  more  combinations 
and  give  a  better  show.  The  forward  hand- 
spring is  easier. 

Walk  to  the  mat,  put  your  hands  down  as 
for  a  handstand,  jump,  and  go  over  to  your 
feet.  Fix  your  mind  on  keeping  your  arms 
stiff.  If  you  bend  the  arms  you  will  not  get 
over  and  will  perhaps  knock  your  head.  The 
instructor  will  heip  by  using  the  mechanic, 
which  is  better  at  first,  or  by  putting  his  hand 
on  the  front  of  your  shoulder  and  giving  a 
push  as  you  go  over.  Learn  the  handstand 
and  practise  handwalking  a  great  deal  first, 
as  these  two  are  most  helpful  in  learning  the 
handspring. 

Professionals  as  a  rule  teach  the  bender 
before  the  back  flip.  Hold  the  pupil  around 
the  waist  and  let  him  bend  over  backwards, 
placing  his  hands  on  the  mat  as  near  his  feet 
as  possible.  When  he  can  do  this  without  be- 
ing held,  he  has  only  to  learn  to  keep  his  arms 
stiff  and  the  little  jump  needed  for  the  flip  is 
easy.     Archange  Tuccaro  wrote  his  book  on 


24        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

tumbling  three  hundred  years  ago.  He  gives 
a  funny  little  illustration  of  his  method.  In 
this  the  boy  bends  over  the  instructor's  leg  and 
the  soft  muscles  of  the  thigh  make  an  admir- 
able cushion  for  his  back.     (Illustration  lo.) 

For  a  man  or  big  boy,  it  is  common  for  the 
instructor  to  take  hold  of  one  leg  and  the  back 
or  a  belt  and  throw  him,  but  this  has  always 
seemed  to  me  the  slowest  method  of  teaching 
the  back  flip. 

If  a  boy  is  stiff,  cannot  learn  a  bender,  and 
does  not  weigh  over  loo  pounds,  I  put  one  arm 
around  his  waist,  the  other  under  his  knees, 
and  throw  him  over  to  his  feet. 

Before  long  he  is  used  to  turning  in  the  air, 
which  is  about  one  half  of  what  he  has  to 
learn. 

Then  as  soon  as  he  can  be  relied  on  to  keep 
his  arms  stiff  so  that  he  will  not  knock  his  head, 
one  hand  under  the  back  is  enough  as  you  help 
him  over.  Pretty  soon  he  can  get  over  alone 
and  will  shortly  get  the  correct  and  easy  mo- 
tion of  a  back  flip.  After  that  he  can  learn 
to  do  spotters  or  a  string  of  flips. 

Pyramids.    There    are    many    of    these. 


II.    PYRAMID.    ADORATION. 


Rugen 


12.     PYRAAIID.     PATH  TO  THE  STARS 

Lighted    balloon    is    balanced    on    Topmounter's    right    hand. 


Rugen 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  25 

Two,  "Adoration,"  and  the  "Path  to  the 
Stars,"  are  useful. 

Adoration.  (Illustration  n.)  Three  on 
their  hands  and  knees,  shoving  close  together, 
arms  braced  across.  Two  above  them  doing 
the  same.  The  Topmounter  goes  up  quickly 
from  the  back,  salutes,  jumps  down,  and  does  a 
roll.  The  two  seconds  dive  down  and  roll. 
The  three  Understanders  roll.  All  form  at 
the  end  of  the  mat  and  salute;  run  back  to  the 
steps.  This  requires  practise.  If  the  Un- 
derstanders and  seconds  are  not  steady,  the 
Topmounter  cannot  go  up  and  is  invariably 
blamed  by  the  rest.  The  Topmounter  must 
not  hesitate  and  must  make  a  graceful  salute, 
or  the  effect  is  bad.  All  must  come  smartly 
through  the  rolls  to  the  final  salute. 

Path  to  the  Stars.  This  is  a  very  pretty 
pyramid  if  well  done.  Form  a  solid  and  even 
staircase  (as  shown  in  illustration  12),  ending 
in  the  strongest  Understander.  The  Top- 
mounter  gracefully  (more  or  less)  walks  up 
this  and  stands  on  the  shoulders  of  the  Under- 
stander, who  must  hold  him  firmly.  The 
staircase  behind  braces  the  Understander.    To 


26       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

the  Topmounter  is  handed  a  sort  of  paper  bal- 
loon, sold  in  trick-shops,  or  a  dazzler  cut  short, 
and  a  lighted  taper.  He  balances  the  balloon 
on  right  hand,  lights  it,  and  throws  down  the 
taper  {cue  for  lights).  Instantly  the  lights  in 
the  hall  are  snapped  ofjf.  The  balloon  burns 
down  to  the  hand,  watched  by  the  Top- 
mounter  with  an  anxious  smile.  But  just  be- 
fore the  flame  reaches  it,  the  balloon  sails  up 
and  drops  a  shower  of  silver  stars  {cue  for 
lights).  The  lights  are  snapped  on,  the  Top- 
mounter  and  Understander  do  a  2-High  Fall, 
all  the  rest  roll,  one  after  the  other,  coming  up 
to  the  second  salute,  and  run  back  to  steps. 

Diving.  I  have  left  to  the  last  the  direc- 
tions for  diving,  for  the  reason  that,  in  this  sort 
of  a  show,  rolls  and  diving  are  the  most  im- 
portant of  all  the  tricks.  AFTER  YOU 
HAVE  MASTERED  THE  ROLL,  let  the 
instructor  hold  a  stick  horizontally  about  a 
foot  above  the  mat.  Walk  up  to  it  slowly, 
fall  over  on  your  hands,  duck  your  head,  and 
roll.  Be  especially  careful  to  keep  all  your 
weight  on  your  hands  and  not  to  strike  your 
head  on  the  mat.     Practise  this  until  you  can 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  27 

run  up  to  it  and  go  over  properly,  banging 
neither  your  head  nor  your  back.  Each  time 
roll  up  on  your  feet  to  saluting  position.  If 
your  heels  come  over  and  strike  the  mat,  draw 
them  in.  When  you  get  this,  the  stick  is  raised 
a  little  and  practise  continues  until  the  stick 
is  about  waist  high. 

On  no  account  stop  this  practise  until  all  the 
class  can  go  over  it  easily  on  the  run  without 
balking  or  bumping.  Much  depends  on  this 
in  future  tricks,  so  do  not  go  on  until  you  have 
it.  Now  place  a  chair  on  the  mat  and  stand 
on  it.  As  well  as  you  can,  without  bending 
the  knees,  drop  to  your  hands  on  the  mat,  keep 
the  weight  on  your  hands,  duck  your  head  and 
roll.  At  first  the  instructor  must  hold  you 
around  the  waist  when  you  drop.  Later  you 
can  do  it  alone,  without  upsetting  the  chair. 
Turn  the  chair  around  and  do  the  same  over 
the  back,  always  being  held  by  the  instructor 
at  first.  Lay  the  chair  on  its  side,  and  let  the 
class  do  running  dives  over  it.  When  these 
things  can  be  done  perfectly,  bumping  neither 
the  head  nor  the  back,  and  not  before,  ad- 
vance to  show  diving. 


28        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

The  Horses.  All  form  a  line,  the  leader 
runs  to  the  mat,  rolls  and  places  himself  across, 
as  in  illustrations  13  and  14.  The  second  boy- 
dives  over  him  and  places  himself  beside  num- 
ber one.  The  third  the  same,  and  so  on  un- 
til you  get  up  as  high  as  your  best  diver  can 
go  v^ithout  kicking  the  ^'horses."  In  this  act 
you  can  star  the  best  diver. 

The  Hoops.  Get  some  medium-sized  or 
large  play-hoops.  Begin  w^ith  one.  Let 
each  dive  through  it  until  he  does  not  balk 
or  bump.  Then  to  bother  the  divers  a  lit- 
tle, hang  some  coloured  rags  on  it  or  use  two 
hoops.  Next,  cover  the  hoops  with  strips  of 
thin  paper  and  dive  through  these,  the  arms 
held  out  stiffly,  breaking  the  paper.  After 
that  cover  the  hoops  with  solid  tissue  paper. 
The  diver  will  land  on  his  hands  on  the  mat, 
duck  his  head  and  roll  as  in  illustration  15. 
Practise  this  steadily  until  no  one  balks  or 
bumps,  then  the  class  is  ready  for 

"The  Fiery  Hoop  of  Death."  Take  a 
hoop  and  wind  it  with  narrow  pieces  of  cloth 
or  cotton.  An  old  sheet  torn  in  strips  lasts 
longest.     Leave  about  a  quarter  of  the  rim 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  29 

unwound  to  hold  it  by.  Soak  it  in  alcohol 
before  the  show,  and  dash  on  a  little  just  be- 
fore using.  At  Cloyne  the  class  lined  up,  the 
hoop  was  lighted,  the  efficient  stage-manager 
turned  off  the  lights,  and  only  the  burning 
hoop  lit  the  hall.  Down  charged  the  class, 
dived  through  it,  rolled  up  to  the  feet,  and 
ran  back  to  the  steps.  After  all  were  back  in 
line,  instantly  the  lights  came  on,  and  you 
should  have  heard  the  applause.  It  is  better 
not  to  repeat  this  trick,  even  if  applauded. 

Before  this  the  class  dived  through  a  plain 
hoop  and  eight  paper-covered  hoops,  each  of  a 
different  colour,  with  a  gorgeous  Thompson 
gold  star  in  the  centre  to  aim  the  hands  at. 

It  is  a  good  plan  with  hoops  to  wrap  all  the 
joints  with  bicycle  tape  rubbed  over  after- 
wards with  talcum  powder,  as  they  are  apt  to 
break  at  the  joints. 

The  best  way  with  hoops  is  to  buy  the  out- 
side four  of  a  "nest"  of  hoops.  That  gives  two 
pairs  which  fit  snugly  together.  Laying  the 
inside  one  on  the  table,  cover  with  tissue  paper 
and  fasten  with  the  other,  thus  avoiding  the 
work  of  pasting.     For  a  class  of  eight,  ten 


30        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

pairs  are  ample,  allowing  one  for  each  to 
break  and  two  for  double  hoop  diving. 

When  you  desire  to  give  a  show,  the  best 
method  is  that  of  professional  circus-directors 
and  vaudeville  stage-managers:  to  so  build  up 
your  programme  with  such  material  as  you 
have  that  the  show  begins  well,  ends  well,  and 
does  not  drag.  By  that  I  mean  that  the  open- 
ing interests  the  audience,  that  they  are  not 
weary  as  it  proceeds,  and  it  finishes  well. 

One  half  of  the  success  of  a  professional 
show  is  due  to  the  style  and  finish.  Every- 
thing goes  smoothly  and  all  the  acts  are 
planned  to  look  well.  This  style  and  finish 
you  may  have  if  you  rehearse  enough,  and,  if 
the  acts  are  pretty,  the  fact  that  the  tricks  are 
easier  does  not  much  matter. 

You  must  remember  that,  when  you  give  a 
show,  you  have  to  know  exactly  whatever  you 
try  to  do.  It  is  not  like  a  classroom  where 
there  is  time  to  think  and  where  you  may  get 
through  by  excuses  or  good  luck.  If  you  un- 
dertake to  do  anything  before  an  audience  you 
must  do  it  properly  and  at  the  exact  moment 
appointed. 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  31 

In  building  up  a  programme,  star  each  one 
of  the  company  in  something,  every  member 
getting  a  chance  at  the  limelight.  One  boy 
will  learn  the  cart-wheel  first;  make  that  his 
specialty  and  star  him  in  it.  Another  the 
handspring,  and  so  on.  Begin  with  a  slow  act 
by  the  class,  end  with  a  quick  one.  Break  the 
monotony  of  all-class  acts  by  ^^brother  acts" 
and  specialties,  as  described  in  the  following 
chapters. 

TOPMOUNTERS  AND  UNDERSTANDERS.  In 
all  double  work  it  is  the  Understander's  duty 
to  save  his  Topmounter  from  falls  and  bruises. 
That  is  what  the  Understander  is  there  for,  to 
take  everything  that  comes.  Otherwise  the 
Topmounter  will  not  have  confidence  and 
cannot  do  good  work.  Until  two  have  worked 
together  for  a  while  they  are  not  *4n  time,''  as 
professionals  say.  They  cannot  make  the 
right  moves  at  just  the  right  moment,  but  it 
is  fine  to  see  partners  working  in  a  good 
"brother  act,"  every  move  nicely  timed  and  to- 
gether. Naturally  you  choose  the  smallest 
boys  for  Topmounters  on  account  of  the 
weight,  but  there  are  other  things  to  be  con- 


32        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

sidered.  Does  he  look  well  when  he  smiles? 
Has  he  courage?  Has  he  a  swelled  head? 
Will  he  be  obedient?  A  sullen-faced  boy 
produces  a  bad  impression  on  top  of  a  pyra- 
mid or  in  a  brother  act.  People  think  he  has 
been  overtrained  or  the  work  hurts  him  or  I 
know  not  what — especially  nervous  women, 
and  as  you  are  trying  to  make  a  pleasing  im- 
pression on  an  audience  you  must  consider  all 
this. 

It  is  not  enough  to  do  a  difficult  act  prop- 
erly. It  must  be  done  gracefully,  with  style, 
for  if  your  audience  is  not  pleased — you  may 
as  well  stay  at  home. 

In  the  old  days  there  used  to  be  a  theatre 
on  the  Bowery  which  had  an  amateur  night 
once  a  week.  Any  amateur  could  pay  a  dol- 
lar and  go  on  and  do  his  or  her  act.  If  the 
act  was  bad  the  audience  would  all  yell — 
^^rotten"  or  "get  the  hook,"  and  if  the  per- 
former declined  to  stop,  the  stage  hands 
dragged  him  off.  I  have  seen  there,  acts, 
given  by  boys,  which  had  real  merit;  that  is, 
they  were  difficult  things  to  do,  but  they  were 
so  awkwardly  done,  without  style  or  finish, 


19-  ^  Throw  No.  2 
First    Position 


20.     Throw  No.  2 
Second  Position 
Center  Oval,   21,   Double   Walk 


Both  these  practice  throws  are  useful,  especially  in  training  Top- 
mounters.  Learn  them  always  on  a  soft  mat.  No.  i  is  more  easily- 
learned  than  No.  2.  At  first  in  swinging  up  No.  i  let  some  one 
put  a  hand  at  his  neck  so  that  he  will  not  fall  back.  Soon  he  will 
get  the  time  and  land  on  his  feet.  No.  2  has  to  push  hard  on  the 
mat  at  the  pull  up  of  the  legs.  Do  not  let  go  of  him  the  first  few 
trys  or  he  is  sure  to  land  on  his  nose.  When  he  has  the  time,  throw 
his  feet  over,   he  pushes  his  hands  hard  and  comes  to  second  position. 


THE.  TEN  ELEMENTS  33 

that  no  audience  could  accept  them.  Perhaps 
the  boy  would  slouch  on ;  he  looked  all  hands 
and  feet — his  work  was  always  too  slow  or  too 
fast.  He  lacked  training.  Amateur  boy  box- 
ers generally  make  the  mistake  of  boxing  too 
fast — they  go  at  it  as  if  each  expected  to  knock 
out  the  other  in  the  first  half  of  the  first  round, 
bow,  and  go  home.  So  to  avoid  all  this — 
there  must  be  ceaseless  drill  on  the  little  points 
— the  way  one  stands,  holds  his  head  and  so 
on.  In  partner  work,  or  "brother  acts,"  as 
in  all  show  work,  your  difficulty  is  that  you 
cannot  see  yourself  working.  Here  the  in- 
structor or  a  sensible  friend  can  help  enor- 
mously. By  steady  criticism  every  day  he 
will  polish  up  your  work  until  it  becomes  what 
all  desire — a  smooth,  clever,  beautiful  act. 
Many  an  amateur  act  could  be  made  a  really 
good  act  if  it  were  competently  criticised  and 
the  performer  did  not  have  a  swelled  head  and 
would  listen. 

Do  not  try  advanced  work  until  you  have 
mastered  the  ten  elements  and  the  simple  work 
described.  The  patience  that  wins  in  life  is 
needed  here.     Those  who  exercise  it  will  be 


34        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

rewarded,  for  the  boy  or  girl  who  masters  the 
ten  elements  can  easily  learn  to  do  well,  pretty 
much  anything. 

Another  caution  to  Topmounters:  Do  not 
practise  with  any  one  else  but  your  partner. 
Stray  people  who  see  you  at  work  like  to  try 
the  throws  and  double  work  without  learning 
the  Understander's  part.  This  results  in 
bruises  and  spoils  your  form.  After  practis- 
ing a  while  with  a  partner  both  learn  the  time ; 
and  this  is  important.  You  gain  nothing  by 
practise  with  an  ignorant  stranger. 

When  all  have  practised  the  fall  and  know 
the  roll  well,  the  double  2-High  Fall  can  be 
much  improved  by  using  mats  which  cover  a 
space  about  i8  feet  long  and  3  wide.  Do  the 
fall  as  before;  after  the  salute  all  roll  again 
quickly,  get  in  position  again,  turn  around, 
mount,  and  repeat  the  fall,  roll,  and  salute. 
This  takes  each  pair  down  the  mats  and 
back. 

Second  time  change  the  salute  to  number  2. 
Another  variety  of  the  2-High  Fall,  if  there 
are  four  Topmounters  and  four  Understand- 
ers,  is  to  put  two  pairs  at  each  end.     The  four 


THE  TEN  ELEMENTS  35 

pairs  cannot  double  down  the  mats  and  back 
unless  wider  mats  are  used. 

These  2-High  Falls  are  much  appreciated 
by  an  audience  and  supposed  to  be  very  diffi- 
cult. As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Topmounter 
stays  on  as  long  as  he  can  and  when  he  jumps 
is  but  a  short  distance  from  the  mat.  The 
roll,  however,  is  done  so  quickly  that  an  audi- 
ence imagines  that  he  lands  on  his  hands. 

The  Topmounter  cannot  get  bruised  unless 
his  Understander  trips  him  or  lets  him  fall 
backwards.  If  the  Topmounter  is  damaged  it 
is  the  fault  of  the  Understander,  a  very  good 
reason  for  never  working  with  an  Under- 
stander who  has  not  learned  his  part.  The 
instructor  should  see  to  this. 

Now  then  we  may  assume  that  you  have 
faithfully  followed  the  directions  in  this 
chapter  and  have  attained  a  real  proficiency  in 
these  ten  elements  of  simple  tumbling. 

It  is  fitting  that  you  should  enjoy  the  pleas- 
ure that  one  may  find  in  "Amateur  Circus 
Life"  and  the  next  chapters  are  devoted  to 
telling  you  how  best  that  may  be  done. 


CHAPTER  IV 

PREPARATION   FOR  A  SHOW 

Suppose  that  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  or  Boy  Scouts' 
Patrol  wish  to  give  a  show  and  have  three 
months  to  get  ready  in. 

The  show  can  be  given  in  a  gym,  a  hall,  in 
a  tent  or  in  the  open.  Wherever  it  is,  ar- 
range a  ring  with  sawdust  and  a  stage  on  one 
side.  Lighting  should  be  the  best  you  can 
command.  If  you  have  electricity  that  is 
best.  A  ring  can  be  very  well  lit  with  the 
old-fashioned  flare  lights,  such  as  peanut 
venders  use,  or  larger.  A  stage,  however, 
must  have  footlights  and  a  curtain  that  works 
properly. 

Plenty  of  circus  people  are  making  a  liv- 
ing in  Latin  America  with  no  better  rig  than 
this  and  canvas  enough  for  a  fence  to  enclose 
the  audience  and  balk  the  deadheads,  because 
they  cannot  afford  to  buy  a  tent  and  give 
good  shows  too.     Of  course  if  you  have  no 

36 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    37 

tent  a  show  is  impossible  in  bad  weather. 
•Benches,  planks,  and  borrowed  chairs  will  do 
for  the  audience. 

Size  of  the  Ring.  Just  here  this  letter 
from  Barnum  &  Bailey  is  interesting. 

BARNUM  &  BAILEY 

Greatest  Show  on  Earth 

General  Offices  and  Winterquarters, 

Bridgeport,  Conn. 

March  21,  1916. 
Ernest  Balch, 
107  East  30th  Street, 
New  York  City. 
Dear  Sir: 

Answering  your  inquiry,  a  regulation  circus  ring  is  42 
feet  in  diameter.  The  height  of  the  curb  is  optional  as  it 
is  only  to  serve  as  a  guide  for  the  horse.  However,  they 
are  usually  about  12  inches  high. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Barnum  &  Bailey. 

Messrs.  Barnum  &  Bailey  explain  that  the 
size  of  a  full  ring  is  42  feet.  But  this  size  is 
needed  only  when  horses  have  to  be  ridden 
bareback.  In  a  smaller  ring  the  horse  would 
be  too  cramped  to  get  the  right  gait. 

For  amateur  work  it  may  be  as  small  as  20 
feet   in    diameter.     This   would   give    room 


38        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

enough  for  a  double  2-High  Fall  and  pretty 
much  any  kind  of  work  desired.  The  circular 
wall  may  be  built  of  wood  with  a  padded  can- 
vas top  or  turf  covered  with  canvas  or  old 
carpet.  If  it  can  be  managed,  a  very  good 
effect  is  produced  by  covering  the  ring  wall 
with  pretty  coloured  bunting  or  similar  stuff. 
If  your  ring  is  built  on  grass-covered  ground, 
cut  off  the  turf  for  the  wall.  Dig  out  the 
ground  say  two  to  three  inches,  smooth  and 
remove  all  stones  or  stumps.  Then  cover  with 
sifted  sawdust  or  tan  bark.  This  is  as  good 
for  tumbling  and  acrobatic  work  as  any  mat. 
If  you  give  a  really  good  show,  you  can  sell 
tickets  for  it.  People  will  always  pay  to  be 
amused  and  the  entrance  money  counts  up 
rapidly.  Many  people  are  quite  tired  of  the 
movies.  Boys  should  plan  a  show  at  10,-15, 
and  25  cents  for  the  best  seats.  Ticket  sellers 
and  ushers  are  easy  to  get.  The  main  thing  is 
a  well-drilled  company  giving  an  interesting 
performance.  The  advantage  of  the  stage  is 
that  you  can  put  on  a  fake  animal  act,  or 
a  boy  or  girl  who  can  sing  a  solo  or  a  chorus 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    39 

or  indeed  anything  that  interests,  barring  long 
and  stale  recitations. 

In  the  ring  the  only  fake  animal  you  can 
use  is  an  elephant,  shown  by  a  clown,  or  per- 
haps a  donkey. 

You  will  make  the  most  money  by  giving 
three  performances. 

First  at  night.  The  second  day  a  matinee, 
and  then  an  evening  show  with  a  little  change 
of  bill,  say  a  pretty  pantomime.  There  are  a 
number  of  these;  for  instance,  ^'Cinderella," 
part  in  the  ring,  part  on  the  stage;  'The 
Schoolmaster"  in  the  ring,  "The  Hotel"  in  the 
ring,  "Box  &  Cox"  on  the  stage,  a  burlesque 
of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  etc. 

How  Much  Time  Should  be  Allowed 
FOR  Preparation?  I  would  say  three 
months,  supposing  that  you  wish  to  give  a 
show  and  make  money  out  of  it,  for  the  Red 
Cross  or  something. 

If  you  sell  tickets  at  25  and  50  cents  you 
must  give  a  very  good  show  and  that  means  a 
long  drill  and  some  older  head  to  manage 
things.     A  smaller  enterprise  takes  less  prepa- 


40       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

ration.  If  you  have  boys  or  girls  who  have 
learned  already  to  do  something,  so  much  time 
is  saved.  If  there  is  a  stage,  a  piano  or  violin 
act  may  be  put  in  or  a  dance. 

Small  one-ring  circuses  can  do  this  with 
benefit;  the  show  goes  better  because  there  is 
change  and  variety.  All  sorts  of  people  go  to 
a  show  and  there  are  varying  tastes. 

A  programme  has  to  be  made  interesting. 
It  is  not  enough  to  provide  a  string  of  Class 
acts.  That  would  be  monotonous.  The  audi- 
ence must  be  entertained  by  affairs  which  seem 
to  it  amusing  and  pretty.  In  a  word,  you 
must  please  your  audience.  It  is  like  a  good 
dinner,  to  the  solid  meat  course,  you  add  soup, 
salad  and  dessert.  The  tumbling  work  is  the 
real  solid  meat  of  your  banquet,  but  there 
must  not  be  too  much  of  it. 

It  is  not  my  intention  nor  is  there  space  to 
describe  very  many  circus  acts;  but  rather  to 
pick  out  a  few  that  may  be  learned  by  ama- 
teurs without  too  great  sacrifice  of  time.  Lack 
of  time  is  the  great  obstacle.  To  practise  an 
act  two  or  five  years  before  he  is  sure  of  it 
is  not  unusual  for  a  professional,  and  this  is 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    41 

obviously  impracticable  for  the  readers  of 
this  book. 

I  exclude  also  acts  which  depend  for  the 
effect  upon  one  difficult  or  dangerous  feat, 
acts  which  require  elaborate  scenery  and  lights 
or  expensive  costumes. 

All  these  things  must  be  considered  and 
furthermore  we  can  do  well  without  them  for 
we  do  not  have  to  pass  the  exacting  and  some- 
times routine  standards  of  agents  and  man- 
agers^ and  best  of  all  we  are  free  from  the 
burden  of  the  treadmill  life  of  the  profes- 
sional. 

If  the  amateur  masters  the  ten  elements  of 
simple  tumbling,  to  give  two  or  three  attrac- 
tive shows  a  year  is  easy  and  this  is  about  all 
he  will  wish  to  do. 

To  embark  in  the  business  is  given  to  few, 
and  is  altogether  another  matter.  Any  boy 
who  intends  to  do  that  will  find  that  what  he 
learns  here  is  a  help,  but  that  he  has  to  learn 
a  whole  lot  more  which  only  a  master — an 
exacting  master — can  teach. 

Professional  acrobatic  work  is  very  serious 
business.     The  life  is  one  of  great  self-denial. 


42        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

A  first-class  acrobat  does  not  drink,  use  to- 
bacco, or  gamble;  he  must  have  plenty  of 
sleep  and  he  cannot  follow  any  other  occupa- 
tion. 

He  is  always  going  somewhere  and  never 
getting  anywhere.  A  week  or  less  in  one 
place  and  you  are  off  for  another,  perhaps 
never  to  come  back.  Travelling  all  over  the 
world  and  seeing  nothing  and  knowing  noth- 
ing about  the  best  things  in  that  world — be- 
hold the  life  of  an  acrobat. 

Brother  Acts  are  so-called  because  it  is 
circus  custom  to  bill  an  act  as  performed  by 
families  or  brothers.  This  is  simply  a  con- 
venient custom.  The  act  is  owned  by  some 
one  and  the  name  is  a  sort  of  trade-mark 
which  is  of  value  in  treating  with  agents  and 
managers.  The  "Brown  Family"  or  "Brown 
Brothers"  do  a  certain  kind  of  act  and  acquire 
a  reputation  which  is  valuable.  They  are 
known  in  the  business  to  be  reliable  and  able 
to  do  what  they  contract  to  do.  If  one  of  the 
"family"  drops  out  some  one  else  is  hired  to 
fill  the  place. 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    43 

It  is  convenient  in  amateur  circus  work  to 
follow  this  custom. 

Two  or  three  practise  together,  learn  an  act, 
and  choose  a  name.  These  brother  acts  may 
be  easy  or  difficult  according  to  the  skill  of 
the  actors.  In  Chapter  V  a  show  is  described 
which  was  rehearsed  only  three  weeks.  Two 
brother  acts  were  built  up  out  of  easy  tricks. 
As  they  were  done  nicely  with  style  and  fin- 
ish, both  improved  the  programme. 

Once  the  ten  elements  of  simple  tumbling 
are  mastered  an  endless  list  of  combinations 
is  possible.  Each  act  should  comprise  three 
tricks,  and  a  fourth,  the  best  or  showiest, 
should  be  kept  for  encores.  A  trick  nearly 
always  ends  with  a  roll  and  salute.  The  fol- 
lowing are  two-brother  acts  for  big  boys  and 
one  for  little  boys  and  a  ^^principal"  brother 
act,  The  Sanreyes,  given  as  illustrations  of 
what  may  be  done. 

Simple  Brother  Act.  No.  i.  The  Kick. 
Understander  on  his  back  on  the  mat.  Top- 
mounter  sits  on  his  feet.  Understander  kicks 
him  up  in  the  air.     Topmounter  shoots  up, 


44       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

dives,  and  rolls  up  to  standing  position.  Un- 
derstander  back  rolls  to  standing  position. 
(Both  do  No.  2  salute  together. 

2d  Trick,  Topmounter  rolls,  and  Un- 
derstander  dives  over  him,  while  he  is  rolling 
in  opposite  direction.  Both  turn  and  go  the 
opposite  way,  but  second  time  Topmounter 
dives  and  Understander  rolls.  Both  face  and 
give  No.  I  salute  or  salute  back  to  back. 

^d  Trick,  Shoulder  mount  2-High  Fall, 
No.  2.     Salute. 

Encore.  The  Turn.  Double  bridge, 
Topmounter  on  top.  (Bridge  shown  by  Un- 
derstander in  illustration  4.)  They  turn  so 
Understander  is  on  his  hands  and  knees  and 
Topmounter  same  on  his  back. 

Understander  gives  one  hand  to  Top- 
mounter  and  brings  one  foot  forward.  Bal- 
ancing on  that  he  gives  the  other  hand  to  Top- 
mounter  and  begins  to  rise  up  on  his  feet. 
Topmounter  is  balanced  well  up  near  the 
shoulders.  When  Understander  is  well  up  on 
his  feet  and  solid,  Topmounter  brings  one 
foot  up  to  place  on  his  shoulder,  then  the 
other,   balanced   and   supported   by   Under- 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    45 

stander's  hands.  After  this  stand  up  straight, 
a  2-High  Fall  and  No.  2  salute. 

This  turn  requires  much  practise.  Top- 
mounter's  feet  must  never  touch  the  floor  in 
making  the  turn,  and  both  must  learn  the 
2-High  Fall  before  trying  the  turn. 

This  brother  act  follows  the  rule.  Do 
three  things:  Begin  with  an  easy  trick,  fill 
in  with  your  second  best,  end  with  a  showy 
one  of  merit,  and  have  ready  for  an  encore  a 
harder  and  showy  trick,  in  case  you  are  ap- 
plauded. It  is  also  so  composed  as  to  in- 
clude what  the  partners  have  learned  to  do, 
and  to  interest  an  audience,  providing  always 
the  work  can  be  done  smoothly  and  quickly. 

In  brother  acts  it  is  desirable  to  combine 
tricks,  if  possible,  that  easily  run  into  each 
other,  as,  for  instance,  the  2-High  Fall  does 
into  the  roll,  and  No.  2  salute.  As  in  illus- 
tration 16  this  planche  follows  well  the 
shoulder  mount.  After  an  erect  balance  on 
the  shoulders  the  Topmounter  sits  on  the  Un- 
derstander's  shoulders,  plants  his  feet  on  the 
Understander's  legs  close  to  his  waist,  stands 
up  and  curves  back,  while  Understander  pulls 


46        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

his  head  back  and  leans  back  to  a  balance. 
The  combination,  therefore,  runs:  shoulder 
mount,  planche,  double  roll.  No.  2.     Salute. 

Second  Brother  Act.  Bridge  Handstand  . 
Snap-up.  In  the  bridge  and  handstand  (il- 
lustration 4),  the  Understander  is  invaria- 
bly* supposed  by  an  audience  to  be  doing  all 
the  work.  As  his  feet  and  hands  are  spread  a 
little  and  knees  touching,  he  really  does  noth- 
ing, since  it  is  easy  to  sustain  the  weight  of  the 
Topmounter  in  this  position.  This  is  prop- 
erly a  two-trick  combination.  Topmounter 
does  a  handstand  and  handsprings  off.  Un- 
derstander does  a  snap  up.  Both  salute.  But 
if  they  are  not  far  enough  advanced  to  do  all 
this,  the  Topmounter  can  come  back  to  a 
standing  position  and  Understander  can  back 
roll  to  his  feet,  both  saluting,  which  makes  a 
fair  combination. 

Brother  Act  for  Little  Boys.  Two 
simple  and  easy  tricks  for  little  boys  are  the 
double  walk  and  the  double  roll.  They  do 
not  look  well  for  big  boys  and  are  too  easy. 

Double  Walk.  Face  to  face  both  take 
hold  of  each  other's  shoulders.     No  2  jumps. 


22.    DOUBLE  ROLL 


Russak 


Top  boy  dives  between  feet  close  in  holding  feet  firmly.  Bottom 
boy  pushes  up  and  does  the  same.  Both  should  roll  smoothly  without 
bumping   the   head.     This   is   brother   work   on   a  mat. 


Russak 

23.    EASY  PYRAMID 

Topmounter  goes  up  first.  Front  boy  takes  position  second.  Back 
boy  last.  Handstanders  come  down  first,  then  Topmounter.  All  roll 
and   salute. 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    47 

throws  his  legs  around  No.  I's  waist,  and 
hooks  his  feet.  No.  2  bends  backward 
through  No.  I's  legs,  puts  his  hands  on  No.  I's 
Achilles  tendons,  and  raises  his  head  and 
shoulders  up.  No  i  bends  over  and  puts  his 
hands  on  the  mat.  They  walk  down  the  mat. 
Stop.  No.  I  pulls  No.  2  back  to  standing 
position.     Both  salute.     (Illustration  21.) 

Double  Roll.  No.  i  lies  on  his  back. 
No.  2  stands  with  a  foot  on  each  side  of  his 
head.  No.  i  puts  his  feet  up.  Each  takes 
hold  of  the  other's  ankles.  No.  2  does  a  roll 
and  No.  i  pushes  and  helps  him  over.  No. 
I  then  does  a  roll  helped  over  by  No.  2. 
Three  rolls  down  and  two  back.  Salute. 
(Illustration  22.) 

An  improvement  of  this:  The  two  march 
on  the  mat  as  in  the  Wheelbarrow  (illus- 
tration 6).  Swiftly  the  wheelbarrow  ducks 
and  rolls,  taking  hold  of  No.  2's  an- 
kles. Proceed  in  the  double  roll  down  and 
back. 

The  Sanreyes.  Principal  Act.  We  will 
suppose  the  two  boys  who  wish  to  make  the 
act  have  a  trained  dog. 


48        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

The  boys  have  learned  to  do  the  roll,  the 
dive,  the  headstand,  the  shoulder-mount,  and 
2-High  Fall,  and  one  of  them  can  do  a  hand- 
stand. 

The  dog  has  learned  to  sit  up,  to  do  one  or 
two  rolls  in  succession,  to  walk  on  his  front 
or  hind  paws,  and  to  jump  on  the  back  of  one 
of  the  boys  and  then  climb  up  onto  his  head 
assisted  by  the  boy  and  sit  there,  then  do  a 
2-High  Fall. 

All  of  these  are  easy  and  do  not  take  much 
time.  The  dog  is  taught  as  described  in 
Chapter  IX. 

We  will  name  the  act 

THE  SANREYES 
(Properties  required,  a  mat) 

As  explained  such  a  name  is  a  sort  of  trade- 
mark and  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  real 
name  of  the  performers.  We  will  suppose 
the  dog  to  be  pretty  good  and  above  all  re- 
liable ;  that  is,  he  will  always  do  what  he  has 
learned  when  he  gets  his  oue.  If  he  runs 
around  barking,  balks  or  has  to  be  coaxed  he 
will  spoil  the  act.     The  three  Sanreyes  are 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    49 

therefore,  George,  Harry,  and  Billy,  the  dog. 
You  would  bill  it  so : 

THE  SANREYES 
George  ,  Harry 

Billy 

First  George  and  Harry  come  out  on  the 
floor  and  salute,  or  if  the  act  is  put  on  the 
stage,  the  curtain  rises  and  they  are  standing 
there  saluting,  but  Billy  remains  out  of  sight. 
The  mat  is  conveniently  placed.  Nothing 
else  is  needed  for  this  act. 

(Billy  does  not  appear  until  the  second  part 
or  the  third,  if  he  is  not  very  reliable  or  has 
learned  only  one  trick. 

No.  I.  George  and  Harry.  Shoulder 
mount.  Balance.  No.  2  Salute.  Planche. 
Both  roll.    No.  2  Salute. 

No.  2.  George  and  Harry  do  a  bridge  and 
handstand  (illustration  4).  Shoulder-mount 
and  2-High  Fall.  They  stand  behind  the  mat 
with  arms  folded.  Billy  comes  on  and  walks 
down  the  mat  on  two  feet.  Billy  jumps  on 
Harry's  back,  sits  on  his  shoulders  or  head. 
2-High  Fall.     Both  roll. 


50        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

No.  3.  Harry  shoulder-mount  on  George. 
Billy  jumps  up  to  Harry.  Harry  holds  Billy 
on  his  shoulders  and  does  a  planche.  When 
Harry  and  George  are  in  balance,  Harry 
brings  Billy  out  to  a  planche  in  front  of  him. 
All  roll.     (Illustration  16.) 

Encore.  George  on  hands  and  knees. 
Harry  same  on  his  back.  Billy  jumps  up  on 
Harry.  Harry  steadies  Billy  with  right 
hand.  George  and  Harry  come  to  standing 
position.  Billy  on  Harry's  shoulders.  3-High 
Fall.  All  roll.  Bow.  After  the  three  San- 
reyes  have  built  up  the  act  so  far  they  will 
change  and  improve  it  as  fast  as  they  learn 
more  difficult  tricks.  This  is  true  of  all 
brother  acts. 

Table  and  Chair  Act  for  Big  iBoy 
OR  Clowns 

I  table  22  inches  by  22  inches  by  32  inches 
high. 

I  chair  16  inches  by  16  inches  by  18  inches 
high  to  seat. 

I  chair  14  inches  by  14  inches  by  18  inches 
high  to  seat. 


24.    TABLE  AND  CHATR  ACT. 


Russak 

FORWARD  FALL 


25.    TABLE  AND  CHAIR  ACT 

Back    Fall.     "This    is    the    life." 


Riissak 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    51 

The  top  of  table  and  seat  of  big  chair  are 
slightly  notched  to  keep  the  legs  from  slip- 
ping. 

Clown  piles  them  up  and  sits  on  the  top 
chair. 

ist  clown  rocks  back  and  forth  with  funny 
business. 

No.  2  clown  meanwhile  pretends  fear,  etc. 

If  you  wish  to  fall  forward,  just  as  the 
chairs  and  table  go  over  throw  your  feet  for- 
ward, your  head  back  (illustration  24),  land 
on  your  feet  and  do  a  quick  roll  to  feet.  This 
produces  the  effect  of  a  fall.  If  you  fall  back 
spread  your  feet  on  each  side  of  the  chair  and 
throw  the  head  and  shoulders  forward  (illus- 
tration 25).  You  will  land  on  your  feet  and 
instantly  do  a  back  roll  to  feet  again.  Mats 
are  arranged  in  front  and  back  of  the  table. 

At  first  practising  a  partner  or  instructor 
should  hold  table  and  chair  until  clown  gets 
control  of  the  balance,  for  table  and  chairs  are 
liable  to  double  up  and  the  table  and  one  chair 
should  be  practised  first;  then  two  chairs  until 
the  performer  can  keep  all  in  line  as  he  rocks 
back  and  forward. 


52        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

This  is  properly  a  clown  act,  but  may  be 
put  on  the  programme  as  an  independent  act 
for  a  big  boy.  The  measurements  must  be 
changed  to  fit  the  table  and  chairs  for  a  small 
boy.  While  No.  i  is  piling  up  the  chairs  and 
climbing  up  to  his  place  and  while  he  is  fall- 
ing, both  clowns  can  use  effectively  a  lot  of 
business  which  they  can  work  out  themselves. 
The  table  should  be  made  with  big,  heavy 
legs.  After  the  act  is  learned  these  can  be 
shaved  down  at  the  bottom  so  that  the  table 
will  tip  more  easily. 

Contortion  Work.  Contortionists— smk^ 
men — are  popularly  suppposed  to  be  double 
jointed — even  that  their  bones  are  broken 
when  children.  This  is  untrue  and  absurd. 
Among  boys  there  is  sometimes  one  who  has 
the  peculiarity  of  very  flexible  joints.  This 
may  be  seen  by  bending  the  fingers  back  to  the 
wrist.  If  you  can  do  this  you  can  do  ordinary 
contortion  work,  which  mostly  consists  of 
bending  back  until  the  head  goes  between  the 
feet  or  placing  the  feet  behind  the  neck. 
Any  one  who  can  do  so  can  make  a  contortion 
act  with  little  work.     I  have  seen  a  boy  do  a 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    53 

fair  amateur  act  after  about  two  weeks'  prac- 
tise. The  main  difficulty  in  his  case  was  to 
learn  the  order  of  the  tricks  and  not  repeat 
himself. 

Juggling.  It  requires  long  practise  to  do 
work  that  depends  on  sleight  of  hand.  There 
are  good  books  to  teach  it,  easily  attained. 
Big  stage  mystery  acts  are  easy  but  require 
expensive  apparatus  and  lighting  effects. 
However,  I  would  recommend  a  boy  to  learn 
to  juggle  three  objects,  beginning  with  tennis 
balls,  as  this  is  an  accomplishment  useful  in 
balance  acts  and  other  ways,  and  is  very  good 
training  for  the  eye  and  nerves. 

Boxing.  As  I  have  explained,  the  impor- 
tant thing  to  do  is  to  diversify  your  pro- 
gramme. Boxing  is  a  very  good  way  to  do 
this,  but  solely  as  an  act  to  show  off  your  small- 
est boys.  If  you  can  get  a  pair  about  ten  years 
old  who  know  a  little  about  boxing  and  are  not 
afraid  to  be  punched  a  bit  and  can  stand  it 
without  losing  their  tempers,  that  will  make 
the  act.  Let  one  much  larger  pair  begin,  a 
middle  pair  follow;  and  then  out  jumps  your 
smallest  pair.     You  will  be  sure  of  applause. 


54       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Rounds  should  last  about  one  minute.  One 
round  is  enough  for  the  first  two  pairs  as  they 
go  on  solely  to  introduce  the  little  pair.  Two 
rounds  is  enough  for  the  smallest  pair  if  they 
are  evenly  matched  and  really  good.  If  they 
can  box  only  a  little  or  are  unevenly  matched, 
one  round.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that 
no  boy  should  be  allowed  to  box  if  he  cannot 
control  his  temper  and  stand  a  little  hammer- 
ing. 

Pantomimes  possess  a  perennial  fascina- 
tion and  are  most  useful  for  an  amateur  circus. 

^Jack  and  the  Beanstalk,"  ^'Cinderella," 
many  of  the  famous  old  fairy  tales  can  be 
turned  into  pantomimes  with  great  success. 
^'Robinson  Crusoe"  has  been  used  again  and 
again.  The  "Swiss  Family  Robinson"  would 
make  a  good  one.  There  are  also  afloat  in  the 
world  little  sketches  of  I  know  not  what  ori- 
gin, such  as  the  "Hotel,"  the  "Schoolmaster," 
the  "Railroad  Conductor."  But  one  should 
distinguish  in  making  a  choice.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  consider  what  each  story  requires  in 
the  way  of  scenery,  costumes,  and  changes. 
"Mucha  maquina"   as  the   Spanish  puts  it, 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    55 

would  be  an  objection  in  many  cases.  The 
famous  old  tale  of  El  Rey  Dorado  for  which 
so  many  men  have  died,  could  be  turned  into 
a  most  effective  pantomime  but  it  would  re- 
quire very  elaborate  costumes  and  effects  and 
many  people.  The  culminating  scene  in  that 
story  represents  a  sacred  mountain  lake  in 
which  the  Gilded  King  bathes,  washing  off 
the  gold  dust  and  jewels  with  which  he  is 
covered  as  an  offering  to  the  God  below  the 
waters.  Difficult  to  reproduce,  whereas  the 
culminating  scene  in  "Cinderella"  is  the  try- 
ing on  of  a  slipper  in  a  kitchen.  "Jack  and 
the  Beanstalk"  would  be  easier  to  give  than 
the  "Gilded  King"  but  more  difficult  than 
"Cinderella."  In  producing  any  of  these  lit- 
tle pantomimes  or  comedies  a  trained  and  dis- 
ciplined tumbling  class  can  do  easily  what 
other  boys  or  girls  would  find  very  difficult. 
One  could  write  another  book  explaining 
fully  such  matters. 

Any  bright  person  can  make  up  one  of  these 
little  comedies.  They  may  be  all  in  panto- 
mime, or  part  pantomime,  and  part  spoken 
lines.     "Cinderella"    begins    on    the    stage. 


56        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Build  a  runway  from  the  stage  to  the  ring  on 
which  two  side  by  side  may  easily  walk.  Two 
sets  are  required  for  the  stage.  One,  the  cot- 
tage kitchen  of  Cinderella.  The  other,  the 
palace  of  the  Prince. 

PARTS 

The  Prince 

The  Prime  Minister 

Fairy  Godmother 

Proud  Sister  No.  i 

Proud  Sister  No.  2 

Herald 

As  many  more  people  as  desired.     Courtiers,  attendants, 
guards,  etc. 

Act  I.  Scene  i.  Cottage  of  Cinderella. 
All  talk  of  the  ball.  Proud  sisters  rub  it  i;i. 
Scene  2.  Proud  sisters  have  gone  to  the  ball. 
Fairy  Godmother  appears.  Cinderella  trans- 
formed comes  down  runway  to  coach  in  the 
ring.     Goes  to  the  ball. 

Act  II.  Scene  I,  (Onstage.)  The  ball. 
Clock  strikes.  Cinderella  runs  home,  drop- 
ping slipper,  from  the  stage  down  the  runway 
and  out  the  entrance.  Scene  2.  (On  the 
stage.)  Prince  demands  that  Prime  Minister 
finds  the  wearer  of  the  slipper. 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    57 

Act  III.  (On  Stage.)  Kitchen  scene. 
Trying  on  the  slipper.  Cinderella  is  discov- 
ered. Grand  march  down  to  ring  and  out  to 
entrance.     End  with  a  grand  wedding  scene. 

This  "Cinderella''  is  a  very  convenient  little 
comedy  because  you  can  use  many  or  few  peo- 
ple and  make  it  simple  or  gorgeous  accord- 
ing to  the  resources  of  the  company.  I  saw  it 
done  once  in  Mexico  by  a  circus  company  of 
sixty  odd.  An  extremely  pretty  girl  in  a 
beautiful  costume  was  the  Prince  and  looked 
it.  Another  pretty  girl  took  the  Cinderella 
part.  All  the  principals  were  good  panto- 
mimists.  Nothing  was  spoken.  A  famous 
clown  played  the  Prime  Minister.  Another 
good  clown  the  Herald  who  bore  the  slipper 
on  a  cushion. 

The  Proud  Sisters  were  magnificent  and 
homely.  There  was  a  real  coach  with  coach- 
man and  two  footmen  in  cocked  hats,  wigs 
and  liveries  drawn  by  two  little  Shetland  po- 
nies. The  transformation  of  the  coach,  po- 
nies, and  attendants  was  supposed  to  take 
place  outside  of  the  tent.  When  the  Fairy 
Godmother  summoned  the  coach,  Cinderella 


58        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

was  already  beautifully  dressed  and  covered 
with  a  ragged  old  dress  which  she  dropped 
while  Godmother  stood  in  front  of  her  and 
waved  her  wand,  the  ponies  and  coach  gal- 
loped in  from  outside,  stopping  in  the  ring 
and  the  footmen  opened  the  door  with  a  bang 
and  low  bows. 

Cinderella  drove  off  bowing  and  smiling 
to  all  of  us  in  the  audience. 

The  Second  Act  was  on  the  stage,  the  real 
circus  orchestra  playing  dance  music  for  the 
crowded  ball.  There  was  a  pause,  a  clock 
struck  slowly  and  loudly  the  fateful  twelve, 
poor  little  Cinderella,  dismayed,  gathered  up 
her  dress  and  fled  down  the  runway  through 
the  ring  and  out  of  the  tent,  the  slipper  is  dis- 
covered and  down  came  the  curtain. 

Act  III.  Curtain  rose  on  first  kitchen  set. 
Proud  Sisters  are  discussing  the  ball,  Cinder- 
ella weeps  in  the  corner.  The  Prime  Minis- 
ter, Herald,  and  guards  solemnly  march  into 
the  ring.  This  procession  was  very  amusing. 
They  mount  up  the  runway  to  the  kitchen  on 
the  stage.  Each  Proud  Sister  tries  on  the 
slipper.     Nothing   doing.     Then   Cinderella 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW     59 

is  discovered.  Scene  2.  The  Palace  again. 
Prince  and  Cinderella  centre  of  the  stage. 
Fairy  Godmother  behind  them,  blesses  them. 
The  Coach  drives  into  the  ring.  Orchestra 
plays  wedding  march.  Prince  and  Cinder- 
ella descend  to  the  coach,  slowly  drive  away, 
as  you  may  believe  to  the  great  applause  of 
the  real  audience,  so  sweet  and  happy  they 
looked.  The  curtain  descended,  the  audience 
applauded,  sighed  a  little  and  went  home. 
In  this  rendering  the  transformation  of  Cin- 
derella, the  coach,  the  ponies  and  the  attend- 
ants was  dodged  because  they  require  so 
much  setting  and  machinery.  But  the  audi- 
ence did  not  mind  that  and  the  other  points 
were  charming  and  well  done.  The  fairy  at- 
mosphere was  achieved.  And  a  sweet,  lovely 
old  story  it  is,  appealing  as  much  to  grown 
ups  as  to  children,  which  will  go  well  with  a 
much  simpler  setting. 

The  Hotel  requires  no  scenery  at  all,  and 
but  three  clever  actors. 

Two  cot  beds  are  placed  in  the  ring,  one  a 
broken  tumble-down  affair,  the  other  a  com- 
fortable one.     A  desk  and  chair  are  placed  in 


6o       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

front  at  a  little  distance,  say  twelve  feet. 
These  represent  the  office  of  the  hotel.  The 
beds  represent  the  lodging.  Enter  an  old 
woman  who  keeps  the  hotel.  After  some  re- 
marks from  her,  come  in  a  lodger  in  a  sort 
of  ridiculous  tramp  costume.  Dialogue. 
He  receives  the  broken  cot  and  gets  into  it 
Funny  business.  Then  enters  the  second 
lodger  well  dressed  who  is  received  with  great 
politeness  and  shown  to  the  nice  cot.  More 
funny  business.  This  leads  to  a  row  between 
the  lodgers,  for  the  second  goes  out  for  a  mo- 
ment and  No.  i  steals  his  bed.  The  row  in- 
creases until  the  old  lady  chases  them  both 
out  and,  distracted,  runs  out  herself.  The 
ring  attendants  rush  out  the  beds,  chair,  and 
desk.  In  this  comedy  the  whole  effect  is  pro- 
duced by  the  dialogue  and  funny  business. 
In  clever  hands  it  is  very  funny  indeed.  As 
a  rule  little  comedies  or  pantomimes  of  this 
kind  are  used  to  end  the  show.  At  the  end 
the  orchestra  plays  the  final  good-night  music. 
If  a  coach  and  ponies  are  not  attainable  for 
Cinderella,  the  arrangement  must  be  changed 
somewhat  and  all  take  place  on  the  stage. 


PREPARATION  FOR  A  SHOW    6i 

A  burlesque  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  is  not 
difficult.  Once  we  did  it  in  French  and  Eng- 
lish mixed  and  it  was  sufficiently  ridiculous 
and  amusing,  under  the  name  of  "Le  Cabine 
de  Tio  Tom."  Soapboxes  covered  with  cotton 
batting  represented  cakes  of  floating  ice  on  the 
Ohio  River  over  which  little  Eva  was  chased 
by  a  half  dozen  assorted  dogs  led  by  an  Italian 
greyhound.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  mag- 
nificent Legree  and  his  boots  and  the  mongrel 
French  pathos  of  Uncle  Tom. 


CHAPTER  V 

A  SHOW  AT  A  BOARDING  SCHOOL 

One  day  at  the  Cloyne  School,  Lewis  said, 
^ Won't  you  start  a  tumbling  class?"  Twice 
before  I  had  conducted  a  tumbling  class  at 
Cloyne.  In  1914,  while  building  the  winter 
camp,  which  is  described  in  Chapter  XII,  we 
practised  for  four  weeks.  Lewis  and  three 
other  boys,  of  this  class  described,  were  in  it. 

So  we  began  to  practise  an  hour  every  after- 
noon but  Saturday,  starting  with  eleven  boys. 
Then  the  head  of  the  school  asked,  ^^Can  you 
not  give  a  show  Thanksgiving  evening?" 

Every  one  wanted  to  do  this ;  but  there  were 
left  only  three  weeks  in  which  to  get  ready, 
and  that  is  a  very  short  time ;  moreover,  eleven 
boys  are  too  many  for  a  class.  But  there  we 
were  with  eleven,  four  of  whom  had  had  a  lit- 
tle training,  and  just  three  weeks  to  Thanks- 
giving.    I  could  not  fairly  ask  a  boy  who 

worked  well  to  drop  out,  but  I  have  always 

62 


AT  A  BOARDING  SCHOOL      63 

made  the  rule  in  a  tumbling  class  that  a  boy 
must  obey  orders.  Before  long  one  of  the 
class  began  to  disobey  and  make  disorder. 
Twice  he  was  warned,  but  I  suppose  he 
thought  he  could  pull  through,  and  the  third 
time  I  let  him  resign. 

Another  boy  was  to  go  home  for  Thanksgiv- 
ing, and  we  needed  one  for  stage  manager,  so 
now  you  see  we  were  down  to  eight,  just  the 
right  number,  and  a  well-balanced  lot  they 
were  except  that  the  two  Understanders 
should  have  been  a  trifle  heavier.  Fortu- 
nately, in  this  class  there  were  two  boys  suit- 
able for  Topmounters,  so  I  began  to  train 
both,  then  at  any  symptom  of  enlarged  head 
the  other  could  be  used,  and  the  class  not  be 
delayed ;  we  were  ready  in  time  and  both  did 
good  work  at  the  show. 

In  practising  cartwheels  it  happened  that 
Tom  caught  the  true  motion  in  two  weeks  and 
was  the  only  one  who  did.  So  we  made  this 
his  act.  The  other  boys  did  left  cartwheels 
down  the  mat,  two  each,  twice  round  while  he 
stood  in  a  majestic  pose.  Then  the  floor  was 
cleared  and  Tom  turned  a  string  of  beauties 


64        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

all  around  the  mat  on  the  bare  floor.  Had  we 
had  a  calcium  light  this  would  have  been 
spotted  on  him  while  we  wheeled  around  the 
mat,  increasing  the  effect,  which  of  course  was 
due  to  the  contrast  between  the  not-well-done 
cartwheels  on  the  mat  and  his  easy  motion. 
Great  applause  rewarded  him. 

As  I  have  described,  what  is  done  in  sight  of 
an  audience  must  be  done  properly.  Excuses 
amount  to  nothing  at  all.  Moreover,  this 
class  had  not  yet  appeared  before  an  audience 
and  would  naturally  be  nervous.  I  must  say 
that  the  night  of  the  show  they  were  hardly 
at  all  nervous,  which  I  attribute  to  their  prac- 
tise in  public  speaking  and  also  to  the  capable 
work  of  stage  manager  Sam.  None  the  less 
this  same  class  would  work  a  whole  lot  better 
at  their  next  show,  for  it  is  surprising  how 
much  one  learns  by  appearing  before  an  audi- 
ence. 

One  of  the  class  tried  a  front  handspring,  but 
he  did  not  get  away  with  it  simply  from  lack 
of  confidence.  With  a  week's  more  practise  it 
would  have  gone  all  right.  Not  in  the  least 
his  fault,  for  he  was  unwilling  to  try  it,  and  I 


AT  A  BOARDING  SCHOOL      65 

insisted.  It  was  hardly  noticed  and  mattered 
little. 

As  we  had  but  three  weeks  to  practise  in 
and  four  of  the  eight  boys  were  quite  green, 
we  did  not  attempt  the  back  flip.  In  the  sec- 
ond week  of  practise  it  became  time  to  settle 
the  programme  of  this  Thanksgiving  show. 
One  difficulty  with  amateur  shows  is  that  they 
do  not  work  smoothly.  There  are  always  de- 
lays, the  curtain  does  not  go  up  at  the  right 
time,  and  all  the  rest  of  it.  Here  the  stage 
manager  knew  his  business  and  the  company 
worked  so  smoothly  that  all  went  a  little  too 
fast.  Afterwards  it  was  agreed  that  the  show 
might  have  had  more  acts  and  run  a  half  hour 
longer  without  tiring  the  audience.  Like  all 
good  stage  managers  Sam  is  gloomy  and  pessi- 
mistic. 

^^These  kids  can't  do  anything,"  said  he. 

"That's  a  fact,  they  cannot  do  much  in  three 
weeks,  but  they  will  stand  for  a  lot  of  drill 
now  that  the  class  is  down  to  eight,  and  what 
they  do  they  will  do  with  style  and  finish. 
Two-thirds  of  the  audience  will  not  know  the 
difference  between  easy  stuff  and  hard,  and 


66        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

the  other  third  will  make  allowances  for  the 
short  preparation.  You  run  your  end  in  good 
shape  and  the  show  will  go  well." 

"Suppose  Craik  gets  rattled?"  (One  of  the 
Topmounters). 

"Well,  he  won't;  he  is  getting  steadier  every 
day." 

"I  think  you  ought  to  beat  'em  up  a  little." 

"Yes,  that  would  probably  hasten  matters, 
but  might  not  be  understood." 

"Lewis  will  never  hold  that  handstand  in 
Turner  Brothers  act." 

"Yes,  he  will — he  has  not  a  lot  of  style  but 
he  is  always  reliable." 

"What  are  they  going  to  wear?" 

"Tights,  of  course ;  we  can  get  up  a  fine  cos- 
tume for  little  money." 

The  costume  described  in  Chapter  VI  was 
purchased  and  the  two  Topmounters  had 
crimson  velvet  trunks,  and  each  performer 
wore  a  rosette  of  crimson  ribbon  placed  on  the 
chest,  a  little  below  the  left  shoulder,  and  a 
crimson  ribbon  tied  around  the  left  leg  below 
the  knee.    This  red  relieved  the  effect  of  so 


AT  A  BOARDING  SCHOOL      67 

much  blackness.  Every  one  else  was  in  even- 
ing dress,  so  the  show  achieved  a  certain  style. 
Now  for  the  beginning,  ^The  Grand  En- 
tree." This  opens  the  show  and  must  be  a  lit- 
tle picture.  It  is  very  important  to  impress  an 
audience  well  at  the  start.  If  you  slouch  in 
with  an  embarrassed  air  the  effect  is  depress- 
ing. We  began  this  way :  the  orchestra  played 
an  overture.  A  little  introductory  speech  was 
made.  Meanwhile  the  stage  manager  ar- 
ranged the  class  in  line,  back  of  the  curtain, 
with  the  two  Topmounters  in  front  and  the 
Understanders  at  the  ends.  Behold  a  nervous 
moment  behind  the  curtain  while  the  speech 
was  paralysing  the  audience  in  front.  The 
stage  manager  held  the  situation  by  marching 
down  the  line  and  giving  each  boy  a  punch 
in  the  stomach,  thus  pleasantly  attracting  their 
attention.  The  talk  ended,  the  speaker  de- 
scended the  steps  to  the  floor,  the  orchestra 
began  the  incidental  music;  slowly  the  foot- 
lights went  up  in  professional  style,  the  cur- 
tain slowly  rose,  and  the  class  stood  there  like 
a  rock.      (Frontispiece.) 


68        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

At  a  signal,  led  by  the  Topmounters,  they 
marched  steadily  down  from  the  stage,  two  by 
two,  formed  a  line,  did  a  roll  on  the  floor  (il- 
lustrations 48,  49  and  50)  and  came  to  the  sa- 
lute. (Illustration  51.)  This  was  an  effec- 
tive entrance  and  brought  appleause. 

The  Finish.  We  selected  "The  Cas- 
cade" to  end  the  show.  This  is  simple  if 
you  have  learned  to  do  the  roll  properly.  All 
ran  back  to  the  cottage  set  on  the  stage.  The 
curtain  was  dropped  and  the  line  formed  be- 
hind it.  The  orchestra,  which  had  stopped 
playing  after  the  Horses,  began  a  quick  march. 
Up  jumped  the  curtain,  the  class  ran  down  the 
steps  in  single  file,  each  one  did  two  quick  rolls 
and  ran  back  to  join  the  line  again,  until  all 
had  gone  down  the  mat  twice;  then  the  line 
ran  up  the  steps  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
down  dropped  the  curtain.  Simple  but  effec- 
tive. It  was  encored  and  then  had  two  cui- 
tain  calls,  the  class  saluting. 

Now  we  have  the  beginning  and  the  end, 
but  the  programme  was  monotonous.  The 
two  brother  acts,  Turner  Brothers  and  Stires 
Brothers,    helped;    but   something   else   was 


AT  A  BOARDING  SCHOOL      69 

needed,  so  we  put  in  a  boxing  act.  The  two 
biggest  boys  first,  then  two  medium-sized,  after 
that  the  two  smallest.  Each  pair  boxed  one 
minute.  The  two  bigger  pairs  were  simply  to 
introduce  the  last  and  smallest  as  explained  in 
Chapter  IV.  This  amused  the  audience  a 
lot  and  helped  to  improve  the  programme. 

This  is  the  programme  as  it  was  finally  car- 
ried out,  with  two  full-dress  rehearsals  to  get 
the  artists  used  to  their  tights  and  it  will  serve 
as  a  model  for  a  forty-minute  to  one- 
hour  entertainment,  beginning  with  a  slow, 
impressive  Grande  Entree,  ending  with  a 
quick  class  act  and  broken  by  two  pyramids 
and  two  brother  acts  and  the  boxing. 

TUMBLING  CLASS 
CLOYNE  HOUSE  SCHOOL 

Newport,  Rhode  Island 

Thanksgiving,   19 15 

Stage  Manager  Mr.  Kissam  Kerr 

Director  of  the  Orchestra  Mr.  J.  L.  Corydon 

Decorations  Mr.  Manuel  Maitzo 

Lights  Mr.  Walter  Hindry 

Costumes  Newport  Rubber  Co. 


70       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

The  Company 
Messrs.  Lewis  Kerr,  Herbert  Turner,  Understanders; 

Arthur  Stires,  Tom  Craven,  Harden  Crawford, 

Donald  Carpenter, 
Cedric  Carpenter,  Craik  Speed,  Topmounters. 

Mr.  Reginald  Roland  kindly  coached  the  boxing. 

Music 

1.  Grand  Entree.  8.  Diving.       The     Fiery 

2.  Roll  and  Salute.  Hoop  of  Death, 

(The  Class.)  (The  Class.) 

3.  Horses.  9.  Cart-wheels. 

4.  Headstands  (four).  10.  Double  Roll. 

5.  Double  2-High  Fall.  11.  Brother  Act. 

6.  Handwalking        Pairs.  12.  Boxing. 

The  Wheelbarrow.        13.  Pyramids:     Adoration, 
(The  Class.)  Path  to  the  Stars. 

7.  Brother  Act.  14.  The  Cascade. 

(The  Class.) 

When  the  show  finally  came  off,  ask  the  boys 
if  they  were  thrilled.  It  all  went  so  fast  that 
the  hour  seemed  only  a  few  minutes.  Did  the 
audience  enjoy  the  show?  Immensely — the 
remembrance  of  old  circus  days,  the  graceful 
little  acts,  the  finish — the  Cascade  twice  re- 
peated— they  applauded  a  long  time,  those 
people  who  had  seen  everything. 


CHAPTER  VI 

COSTUMES  AND  DISCIPLINE 

A  costume  consists  of  tights  and  shirt  with 
sleeves,  both  of  heavy  standard  cotton  and 
trunks  of  so-called  velvet.  For  the  feet  use 
well-fitting  black  sneakers.  It  is  important 
that  the  sneakers  should  be  neither  too  small 
nor  too  loose.  If  black  sneakers  are  not  at- 
tainable paint  black  any  old  pair.  Expensive 
acrobatic  shoes  do  not  help  and  are  not  ap- 
propriate except  for  advanced  work.  The 
black  colour  fits  in  with  any  coloured  costume 
except  white.  White  tights  are  difficult  to 
keep  clean  and  should  never  be  indulged  in 
except  for  very  advanced  work.  The  best 
colours  are  black,  crimson  or  blue  for  tights 
and  shirt.  Pink,  light  blue,  and  yellow  do  not 
look  well  except  in  silk. 

According  to  your  taste  use  trunks  of  the 
same  colour  or  not.  Distinguish,  however, 
the  Topmounters  as  this  looks  well  in  pyra- 

71 


72        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

mids.  It  can  be  done  by  covering  their  trunks 
with  gold  or  silver  braid,  or  some  such  method. 
If  a  class  performs  and  there  are  specialties  it 
is  a  good  plan  for  the  specialties  to  change  cos- 
tume, in  which  case  the  programme  must  be 
arranged  to  give  them  time  for  the  change. 

For  heavy  Understander  work,  it  is  desir- 
able to  use  a  Morton  supporter  or  other  type 
as  it  helps  to  prevent  strains  to  the  abdomen. 

Girls  will  know  how  to  arrange  an  effective 
costume  which  should  avoid  anything  to  trip 
or  entangle  and  the  eternal  sailor  blouse  which 
does  not  seem  appropriate  for  the  sawdust 
ring. 

In  measuring  tights,  give  chest,  waist,  hip 
measures  and  inside  seam  of  leg;  this  last  is 
the  most  important  measure.  If  too  short  the 
tights  are  uncomfortable,  if  too  long  they  will 
always  wrinkle  at  the  knees. 

The  inside  seam  measure  should -be  given 
one-half  inch  less  than  the  exact  measure. 
The  size  stocking  used  may  be  added.  Shirt 
should  be  rather  low  in  neck  and  with  long 
sleeves.  In  putting  on  tights  put  them  on 
gently  and  do  not  pull  them  out  of  shape. 


COSTUMES  AND  DISCIPLINE    73 

When  on,  fasten  drawstring,  put  on  a  light 
narrow  belt  or  cord  and  roll  the  tights  around 
this  until  they  are  smooth.  Shirt  goes  inside 
tights  or  under  the  belt  and  the  trunks  cover 
all. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  necessity  for 
choosing  a  Stage  Manager  or  Equestrian  Di- 
rector and  of  obeying  his  or  her  orders  ex- 
actly. This  is  invariably  done  by  profession- 
als and  is  not  from  choice  but  from  necessity; 
there  is  no  other  way  to  success.  What  the 
stage  manager  says  "goes"  emphatically. 
This  is  so  important  and  hard  to  understand 
that  it  might  be  a  good  plan  to  print  the  rule 
at  the  head  of  each  chapter  of  this  book.  One 
stage  manager  is  better  than  another  naturally, 
but  any  stage  manager  is  better  than  none, 
just  as  any  system  of  exercise  is  better  than 
none. 

This  comes  out  clearly,  when  you  arrive  at 
the  question  of  make-up  and  costume.  Only 
a  very  experienced  professional  can  judge  of 
the  effect  before  an  audience  of  these.  The 
reason  is  simple  enough.  What  is  becoming 
and  appropriate  in  a  room  appears  differ- 


74        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

ently  on  the  stage  or  in  a  ring  on  account  of 
the  difference  in  the  effect  of  the  lights  and  the 
position  of  the  artist.  There  should  never  be 
less  than  two  dress  rehearsals  before  a  show, 
and  any  order  to  change  by  the  stage  manager 
should  be  obeyed  at  once.  Do  not  ask  for 
reasons.  If  the  stage  manager  does  not  think 
well  of  it  that  is  enough.  That  is  what  the 
stage  manager  is  for,  the  artist  cannot  see  the 
effect  as  the  stage  manager  does,  and  the  man- 
ager is  just  as  anxious  for  a  good  effect  as  the 
artist. 

Costume  and  make  up  effects  copied  from 
the  real  stage  may  look  well  or  may  not. 
There  is  one  general  rule  to  be  observed. 
Nothing  in  the  least  bit  vulgar  should  be  per- 
mitted in  these, — costume,  make-up,  jokes,  or 
pantomime. 

Colours  and  styles  must  suit  the  artist  on  the 
stage  and  in  the  ring.  Amateurs  easily  make 
mistakes  on  these  two  points  which  is  not  sur- 
prising for  even  professional  stage  managers 
who  do  not  make  mistakes  are  scarce. 

For  a  minstrel  show,  boys'  and  girls'  or 
grown  people's   evening  clothes  with  burnt 


COSTUMES  AND  DISCIPLINE    75 

cork  on  the  face  and  black  gloves  on  the  hands 
may  be  used. 

Black  gloves  are  better  because  black 
corked  hands  get  everything  dirty,  but  the 
hands  can  be  blacked  if  gloves  are  unattain- 
able. If  black  cork  is  not  used,  some  sort  of 
costume  or  uniform  or  fancy  dress  appears 
well.  A  boy  scout  uniform,  with  an  Inter- 
locutor and  four  end  men  in  fancy  dress  or 
burnt  cork  and  evening  clothes  would  be  fine. 
The  five  in  costume  will  show  up  the  Scout 
clothes  nicely.  For  acrobatic  work  in  the 
ring  nothing  could  be  better  than  the  costume 
shown  in  Chapter  V.  Of  course,  hair,  hands 
and  face  should  be  nicely  arranged.  A  dirty 
face  or  hands  are  apt  to  kill  the  effect. 

Clown  costume  is  easy.     The  illustrations 
show  two  styles: 
A  Clown  Costume  for  $.75. 

Buy  cheapest  grade  of  cotton  cloth  twice  the 
length  from  the  neck  of  the  clown  to  the 
ground.  Double  in  the  middle.  Cut  out  hole 
for  neck.  Split  up  ends  to  form  legs,  sew  up 
sides  and  insides  of  legs.  Carry  up  split  above 
knees  far  enough  so  you  do  not  trip  but  not  far 


76        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

enough  to  catch.  Split  the  back  down  far 
enough  so  as  to  enter  and  put  one  button  at 
top.  Cut  holes  for  arms  and  sew  on  straight 
sleeves.  Each  sleeve  and  leg  should  end  in  an 
elastic.  The  extra  length  pulled  out  makes  a 
ruff  around  bottom  of  each  leg  and  one  around 
each  sleeve.  Ruffs  for  the  neck  may  be  white, 
green  or  red. 

Cut  out  little  figures  of  animals  or  what  you 
will  of  coloured  muslin.  Sew  on  the  cotton 
cloth.  Hat  is  ordinary  coneshaped  clown  ef- 
fect made  of  pasteboard  and  white  muslin 
with  coloured  dots  pasted  or  sewed  on.  They 
may  be  purchased  in  New  York  for  five  cents. 

There  are  endless  ways  of  varying  this  cos- 
tume. Half  black  or  colour,  with  black  or 
coloured  dots,  is  effective.  The  sleeves  may 
be  made  fuller  than  in  the  illustration;  and 
one  leg  may  be  shorter  than  the  other.  If  a 
strong  yoke  is  sewed  in  the  neck  and  the  back 
opening  and  legs  are  reinforced,  the  costume 
will  stand  harder  work. 

Clown  caps,  crepe  paper,  white  with  dots  as  in  illustration 
No.  3411  and  sparklers  No.  20/5331,  for  the  "Path  to  the  Stars," 
at  Shackman,  906  Broadway,  New  York.  Costumes  in  illustra- 
tions, Newport  Rubber  Co.,  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 


26.     Way  to   Shape  a  Clown   Costume 

First    cut    and    sewing. 


27.     Clown  Ruffs.     Pair  of 
Hoops. 


Russak 


28.     Elephant  Hook.    Sample 
Buttons   for  Eves. 


29.  EASY  PYRAMIDS  30. 


31.    DEAD  MAN 


32.     PRACTISING    HAND- 
BALANCE  ON  A  CHAIR 

_  This  has  to  be  done  without  as- 
sistance  and   is   advanced   work. 


COSTUMES  AND  DISCIPLINE    77 

Clown  Ruff 

Strip  of  crinoline  or  coarse  mosquito  netting 
seven  to  nine  inches  wide  according  to  size  of 
boy  or  girl.  Fold  it  in  accordion  pleats  one 
inch  wide.  First  four  one  way,  then  four 
facing.  Length  of  strip  is  36  to  50  inches. 
Sew  down  the  centre  of  outside  face  a  tape. 
Length  when  pleated  is  length  of  boy's  collar 
with  tape  over  to  tie.  Colours :  White,  blue, 
green,  or  yellow.  Pleated  this  way  of  stiff  ma- 
terial, the  ruff  stands  up  as  a  Clown's  ruff 
should.  Other  material  may  be  used.  Stiff 
mosquito  netting  is  very  good.  Cost  about  25 
cents. 


CHAPTER  Vir 

CLOWN  WORK 

Clown  Make-up.  Here  we  have  to  con- 
sider where  the  clown  is  to  work.  In  the  big 
three-ring  circuses  the  old-fashioned  talking 
clown  is  unknown  for  the  simple  reason  that  he 
cannot  be  heard.  A  talking  clown  can  only 
work  in  a  one-ring  circus  or  on  a  stage.  There 
is,  however,  little  he  can  do  on  the  stage  and 
his  true  field  is  in  the  old  style  sawdust  ring. 
His  jokes,  his  acts,  and  his  costumes  are  de- 
signed for  that,  and  there  appear  best. 

For  over  twenty  years  Ricardo  Bell  was  not 
only  the  best  clown,  he  was  the  best  known  and 
most  popular  man  in  all  Mexico.  His  make- 
up never  varied:  hair  built  up  to  a  peak  in 
front,  face  covered  with  white,  mouth  outlined 
with  red.  The  costume  was  the  conventional 
Pierrot,  sometimes  with  an  old  coat  or  a  plug 
hat,  with  a  large  rufi  around  the  neck.     He 

78 


CLOWN  WORK  79 

had  a  noble  great  voice.  He  worked  always  in 
Spanish,  and  the  mother-in-law,  the  train,  the 
photographer  and  all  the  other  old  jokes  pro- 
duced a  singular  effect  when  you  heard  them 
so  told.  After  hearing  the  same  jokes  for 
eight  or  nine  years — each  season,  I  asked  him 
once  why  he  did  not  give  us  something  new. 
He  said  because  the  people  wanted  the  old 
stuff — especially  the  gallery — and  were  not 
content  unless  they  got  it.  So  every  year  at  the 
same  season  when  the  show  came  to  Yucatan, 
he  used  each  of  the  forty  odd  little  acts,  with 
the  same  jokes — the  same  points  made  in  the 
same  way,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  every- 
body. A  great  man  Bell, — the  greatest  in  his 
line  I  have  seen.  When  he  opened  his  mouth 
there  was  intense  silence  in  the  audience — 
when  he  stopped  came  a  roar  like  the  waves  of 
the  sea,  waves  of  happy  laughter;  and  so  for 
eight  or  ten  weeks,  working  ten  times  each 
week,  and  generally  going  on  twice  at  each 
performance.  A  man  of  talent,  he  understood 
that  to  get  the  effect  sought  a  clown  has  to 
laboriously  perfect  every  little  detail  of  voice, 
word,  gesture  and  costume.     Poorly  applied 


8o        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

make-up  is  worse  than  none  for  a  clown.  To 
apply  the  red  lines  properly  requires  plenty 
of  study  and  is  generally  beyond  the  amateur. 
For  a  boy,  I  prefer  the  Pierrot  costume — ^wide 
and  baggy.  The  hair  built  up  to  a  peak  in 
front  with  pomatum,  and  an  old  cutaway  coat. 
But  look  out  that  it  is  either  too  big  or  too 
little.  A  plug  hat  is  useful,  but  it  also  re- 
quires much  study.  It  must  be  "foolish — not 
too  foolish  but  just  foolish  enough."  This 
saying  applies  to  all  clown  costumes  and 
make-up. 

The  make-up  intended  for  a  circus  tent  is 
a  bit  too  coarse  for  a  gym  or  hall.  Putting 
dabs  of  red  in  many  places  on  the  face  gives 
a  poor  effect!  I  have  always  found  that  the 
make-up  of  one  heavy  red  spot  about  the  size 
of  a  dollar  is  best  unless  the  work  is  done  be- 
hind strong  footlights,  in  which  case  a  little 
tint  all  over  the  cheeks  looks  well. 

As  it  is  difficult  to  decide  all  these  points 
without  experience  a  mature  friend  with  an 
artistic  eye  is  invaluable. 

I  have  seen  boys  delightfully  costumed  and 
made  up  as  clowns;  but  I  have  never  seen  it 


f 


CLOWN  WORK  8i 

done  by  the  boys  themselves.  Often  they  ap- 
pear simply  silly — not  clown-foolish. 

A  grown-up  clown  cannot  appear  charming 
and  never  tries  to;  but  a  boy  or  girl  may  use 
the  advantage  of  youth  to  take  the  place  of  the 
experience  of  professionals.  With  this  ad- 
vantage, no  elaborate  make-up  is  necessary. 
A  pretty  girl  of  say  sixteen  makes  a  specially 
delightful  clown.  Grotesque  feet  and  hands 
amount  to  little,  and  require  great  experience 
in  their  use.  A  simple  funny  make-up  is 
all  that  is  necessary;  and  the  rest  of  the  battle 
is  drill,  drill  and  more  drill  so  that  the  jokes 
and  points  run  smoothly. 

It  is  best  to  bar  the  slap  stick.  I  have  seen 
four  boy  clowns  working  in  a  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
show  who  simply  could  not  leave  the  slapstick 
alone  they  thought  it  so  funny.  Result,  a 
bored  audience.  But  any  one  who  undertakes 
to  be  a  clown  must  prepare  for  endless  tedious 
practise,  and  here  again  the  mature  friend  with 
artistic  eye  is  invaluable — one  who  will  at- 
tend many  rehearsals  and  say  "That  does  not 
go  well,"  "Too  long,"  "Too  short,"  "Too 
slow,"  "Too  fast,"  "Speak  louder,"  "More 


82        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

action,"  ^Too  wooden,"  ^^Rotten."  This  is  the 
sort  of  comment  that  results  in  a  performance 
in  which  every  point  you  make  will  be 
rewarded  by  a  roar  of  laughter. 

Talking  clowns,  as  a  rule,  work  in  twos ;  or 
if  there  is  only  one  the  ring  master  has  to 
learn  the  dialogue  and  help  him. 

A  clown  should  know  enough  simple  tum- 
bling to  do  a  roll,  a  dive,  and  a  headstand.  If 
he  can  walk  on  his  hands  so  much  the  better. 
If  he  learns  the  roll  and  dive — funny  falls  are 
easy. 

All  circus  and  minstrel  jokes  are  built  the 
same  way — a  preliminary  part  to  get  the  at- 
tention of  the  audience,  and  then  the  point. 
The  principal  clown  delivers  the  point  and 
must  speak  it  clearly  and  not  too  fast  so  that  it 
^^gets  over,"  as  they  say.  If  both  clowns  are  of 
the  same  rank  they  take  the  point  in  turn. 

If  there  is  one  clown  and  he  has  an  assistant 
or  "feeder"  the  clown  takes  all  the  points. 
The  other  work  consists  of  little  acts  such  as 
"The  Hotel"  described  in  Chapter  IV.  In 
Chapter  X  there  are  printed  a  string  of  old 
time  jokes  most  of  which  will  do  in  the  ring. 


CLOWN  WORK  83 

Local  jokes  can  be  made  up  and  tried  out.     If 
they  do  not  succeed,  cut  them  out  at  once. 
•    If  the  clown  can  play  a  violin,  cornet  or 
banjo,  or  sing,  it  is  an  effective  change  to  do  a 
bit  of  music,  especially  for  an  encore. 

As  I  have  said,  where  the  big  3-ring  cir- 
cuses exist  talking  clowns  are  no  longer  known ; 
so  the  present  generation  of  boys  and  girls, 
when  they  try  clown  work,  are  apt  to  do  it  in 
pantomime  and  for  the  most  part  fail'.  At  the 
best  they  amuse  only  the  children.  In  any 
ordinary  Gym  or  one-ring  tent  a  talking  clown 
is  better  and  easier  to  do. 

The  explanation  of  this  is  that  untrained 
boys  cannot  imitate  well  crack  professionals. 
For  that,  years  of  training  are  needed ;.  but  in 
talking  clown  work  youth  and  inexperience 
help  rather  than  hinder.  In  pantomime  work 
they  are  no  help  at  all. 

The  Reader 

A  table  and  chair  beside  it  are  placed  on  the 
mat  or  sawdust.  On  the  table  is  a  newspaper, 
three  crackers  and  a  small-boy's  air  gun. 

First  clown  enters  with  a  foolish  grin  and 


84        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

funny  business — not  too  much.  Finally  sits 
down  on  chair  resting  one  arm  on  table,  be- 
coming absorbed  in  reading  the  paper.  Sec- 
ond clown  enters — funny  business — a  little — 
tiptoes  up  behind  first  clown  and  gently  pulls 
out  chair.  First  clown  remains  unmoved. 
Then  No.  2  rubs  his  head  and  pulls  away 
table.  No  i  remains  unmoved  absorbed  in 
paper,  so  disgusted  No.  2  gives  him  a  shove. 
Both  do  a  back  roll,  paper  and  all.  Business 
of  grinning  at  each  other. 

Chair  Act.  No.  2  puts  the  chair  at  edge 
of  the  mat.  Bends  forward  and  rolls  over  the 
floor.  Without  looking  back  he  back  rolls  up 
on  to  the  chair.  He  is  so  satisfied  with  this 
feat  that  he  repeats  it.  While  he  is  standing 
grinning  with  his  back  to  the  chair,  No.  i  tip- 
toes up,  moves  the  chair  and  sits  down  on  it. 
No.  2  rolls  back,  sits  down  and  of  course  has  a 
funny  fall.  Each  has  played  a  trick  on  the 
other.  Both  have  to  know  how  to  do  the 
back  and  front  roll  and  funny  falls.  The  mat 
is  used  so  the  falls  are  on  it. 

Trick  Rifle  Shot.  No.  i  takes  position 
with  air  gun  and  a  small  mirror.     No.  2  holds 


33-     Fishface    discovers    Koko 
reading. 


34.     Fishface  pulls  the  chair  away 
to   give   him   a   fall. 


the    table. 


36.     I]ut  to  make  him  fall  at  last 
he   has  to   shove   him   over. 


THE  READER 


37-  Fish  face  amuses  himself 
rolling  from  the  chair  across  the 
floor  and  back.  The  second  time 
Koko    pulls   away   the    chair. 


39.     And   Koko  triumphs. 

CLOWN  ACT  WITH  CHAIR 


CLOWN  WORK  85 

a  cracker  in  his  fingers.  Both  do  funny  busi- 
ness. No.  I  aims,  makes  a  noise,  and  No.  2 
crushes  cracker  in  his  fingers.  This  trick 
would  be  better  with  dialogue;  and  as  in  all 
clown  work,  make  the  points  clear  and  do  not 
overdo  it. 

It  is  customary  for  two  clowns  working  to- 
gether to  assume  stage  names.  The  two  boys 
in  the  illustrations  took  the  long  used  names  of 
Koko  and  Fishface.  The  acts  given  in  these 
photos  with  two  spoken  jokes  riin  about  eight 
minutes.  One  or  two  more  jokes  could  be 
used  and  the  encore  will  then  bring  it  to  ten  or 
twelve  minutes,  which  is  long  enough.  Or,  if 
desired,  it  can  be  split  up  into  three  short  en- 
tries, an  entry  meaning  an  appearance  before 
an  audience.  This  is  distinct  clown  work 
by  itself  either  with  or  without  dialogue. 
Clowns  may  also  be  used  to  advantage  to  help 
out  an  acrobatic  act  while  the  acrobats  are 
resting  in  the  familiar  way  of  the  bareback 
rider  and  the  clown.  The  act  in  the  illustra- 
tions may  be  given  on  a  stage  or  in  the  ring; 
begins  with  "The  Reader"  (no  dialogue)  next 
the  chair  (with  or  without  dialogue)  then  two 


86        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

or  three  spoken  jokes  and  last  "  Hypnotism" 
(with  or  without  dialogue) . 

The  Dialogue  for  ^'Hypnotism"  runs  much 
this  way.  Clowns  generally  prefer  to  make  up 
their  own  dialogue. 

KOKO. — Did  you  know  that  I  am  a  hypno- 
tist? 

FiSHFACE.     I  did  not. 

KOKO.  (Illustration  40.)  Come  on  and 
I'll  show  you. 

[Drags  him  forward.~\ 

Illus.  41.  [To  the  audience.]  See  how 
he's  going  under  the  influence. 

Illus.  42.  KOKO.  Now  he  is  hypnotised. 
I  can  do  anything  I  like  with  him.  I'll  stand 
him  on  his  head. 

Illus.  43.     [More  business  and  talk,] 

Illus.  44.  KOKO  puts  FiSHFACE  back  on  his 
feet.  [To  the  audience.]  Observe  the  per- 
fect control. 

[Slaps  his  face.l 
KOKO.     Perfect  control.     Yes,  sir.    Perfect 
control.     [Slaps  FiSHFACE  again.] 

[This   is   the  point.     The   return   slap    of 


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40 


41 


43 
HYPNOTISM 


CLOWN  WORK  87 

Koko  by  Fishface  must  be  quick  and  make  a 
great  noise. ~\ 

Fishface.  {Loudly,^  (Illustration  45.) 
You  said  it.  [^Slaps  Koko,  Both  do  a  back- 
roll  and  grin^ 

If  an  encore  is  won,  "The  Serenade"  is 
given,  of  one  or  two  pretty  sentimental  songs. 

Koko  must  have  learned  to  do  a  backroll, 
the  pantomime  work  and  his  side  of  the  jokes. 
In  the  songs  he  sings  a  second  part.  Koko  is 
the  No.  I  clown,  although  in  this  act  the  work 
is  quite  evenly  divided  between  No.  i  and  No. 
2  clown. 

Fishface  has  to  do  a  backroll  and  stand  on 
his  head;  then  do  the  pantomime  work  and 
dialogue  and  sing  soprano  in  the  two  songs. 

The  jokes  may  be  chosen  from  the  list  given 
in  Chapter  X. 

Koko  leads  off  with  the  '^Boiled  Egg"  joke. 

The  club  is  used  as  a  guitar. 


CHAPTER  Vlir 

FAKE  ELEPHANT.       FAKE  LION  ACT. 
THRILLERS 

A  practical  way  of  improving  a  programme 
is  to  use  a  fake  elephant.  With  the  aid  of 
Baby  Jumbo  you  can  make  a  most  attractive 
act  for  the  clown.  But  the  effect  largely  de- 
pends upon  the  way  Jumbo  is  built.  If  the 
proportions  are  correct,  that  is  if  they  are  nat- 
ural, the  illusion  will  be  impressive. 

The  design  here  given  is  for  an  elephant 
6'  4"  to  6'  6"  high,  depending  on  the  height  of 
the  boys  in  the  front  and  hind  legs  and  is 
drawn  from  photographs  and  information, 
kindly  given  at  the  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, New  York.  Taking  leg  boys  about  5'  6" 
in  height,  then  Jumbo  will  be  a  little  over  6'  4'' 
and  the  other  proportions  are  correct. 

ELEPHANT  HOOK 
The  elephant  is  an  animal  possessing  great 
strength.     If  he  gets  away  from  you  he  can 

88 


FAKE  ELEPHANT  89 

easily  do  much  damage.  Therefore  you  need 
for  Baby  Jumbo  an  elephant  hook  with  which 
to  control  him.  One  may  be  made  for  twenty- 
five  to  fifty  cents  like  this  (illustration  28). 
Fix  a  place  behind  the  ear  for  the  clown  to 
hook  it  in  when  leading  him  on. 

Having  a  hook  to  control  him  we  will  pro- 
ceed to  build  the  elephant. 

Head  21"  x  14''  extreme  width,  x  12" 

Backward  slope  from  top  of  head  to  point  where 

trunk  begins  to  be  attached 2" 

Height  over  all 6'  4" 

Length  over  all 6'  4" 

Length  on  back  from  forehead 6' 

Extreme  thickness  of  elephant .  23" 

Length  of  trunk,  about 5' 

Length  of  ear 2' 

Width  of  ear i'  6" 

Foreleg,  floor  to  stomach 2' 

Back  leg,  floor  to  stomach 2'  3" 

Length  of  tail 3' 

Backbone    4' 

Forehead  to  end  of  backbone 2' 

Length  of  stomach  between  legs 3' 

Length  of  neck i' 

End  of  backbone  down  to  tail  slope 2" 

Diameter  of  feet,  about 12" 

The  following  are  the  specifications  from 
the  drawings : 


90        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Backbone.     One  piece  wood 4'  x  3"  x      i"  thick 

Neck   and   insertion   in   skull.     One 

piece  wood 2'  x  2"  x  i^/^" 

Face  of  skull.     One  piece  wood.  ...   21"  x  14"  x  i" 

Two  sidepieces  of  skull 12"  x  i''  x  shaped 

Top  of  skull.     One  piece  to  size. 

Two  iron  frames  to  bolt  to  backbone,  to  rest  on  shoul- 
ders  of   leg-boys,    padded   at   the   shoulder   ends   and 

strapped  around  the  chest. 
One  spring  12"  x2>^"  widex  5^"  thick,  bored  with  four 

y^"  bolt  holes. 
Ribs  to  suit. 
Two  pairs  of  old  rubber  or  leather  boots,  large  size,  to 

take  boy's  foot  in  sneaker. 
Two  buttons  for  eyes. 
Cotton  cloth,  say  10  yards,  single  width,  and  cotton  wool 

or  excelsior  for  stuffing. 
5  ft.  piece  of  old  rubber  hose. 
Dark  grey  drugget  cloth  for  skin,  say  10  yards,  single 

width. 
Cost  of  elephant  inside  of  $15. 

Assembling  all  the  materials,  bolt  the  iron 
frames  to  the  backbone  in  the  right  position 
and  secure  all  this  on  a  couple  of  saw-horses 
while  building.  The  head — Trim  out  the 
head  on  the  sides  between  the  cheekbones  and 
the  forehead.  It  is  this  hollowing  of  the  out- 
line of  the  face  that  largely  gives  the  effect  of 
age  and  pathos  to  an  elephant's  face.  Shape 
the  side  pieces  and  nail  to  the  face  piece. 


FAKE  ELEPHANT  91 

Nail  on  top  of  the  head.  Nail,  or  screw 
strongly  into  the  head  the  neck  piece,  letting 
twelve  inches  project  for  the  neck.  Now  tack 
on  cotton  cloth,  stuffing  it  to  give  the  rounded 
protuberances  of  the  forehead  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  trunk.  iBuild  in  the  eyes  with 
large  appropriate  buttons  (artificial  eyes  cost 
too  much)  surrounded  with  a  glistening  white 
space  made  of  white  kid  from  an  old  glove. 
The  shape  of  the  eyes  will  be  fixed  when  you 
put  on  the  skin  and  eyelids  of  grey  cloth. 
Only  the  upper  eyelid  moves  as  the  lower  eye- 
lid of  an  elephant  is  immobile  against  the 
bone.  Mould  the  trunk  and  carry  down  the 
cotton  cloth  so  as  to  cover  the  rubber  hose. 
Fasten  in  the  hose  so  that  the  loose  end  shall  be 
about  one  inch  above  the  ground  when  the 
head  is  level;  then  stuff  around  to  proper 
shape,  and  cover  neatly  with  cotton  cloth. 
With  four  bolts  fasten  the  spring  on  top  of  the 
neck  and  backbone.  Then  you  can  unbolt  the 
head  from  inside  if  you  wish  to  crate  the  ele- 
phant. The  spring  is  to  give  the  characteris- 
tic up  and  down  swing  of  the  head  when  the 
front  boy  pushes  it  up  and  down  with  a  stick. 


92        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

If  the  spring  is  too  flexible  insert  a  pad  of 
rubber  between  end  of  backbone  and  neck- 
bone.  This  produces  a  more  dignified  mo- 
tion. The  rubber  hose  in  the  trunk  should 
project  into  the  neck  about  a  foot,  so  that  the 
front  boy  may  blow  through  it  and  use  it  to 
move  the  trunk  around.  With  swaying  of  the 
trunk  and  the  up  and  down  motion  of  the  head, 
you  can  imitate  the  restless  movement  of 
an  elephant  chained  in  his  stall.  Also  you 
can  blow  a  piece  of  paper  around  the  floor. 
Fasten  a  fine  piece  of  gut  to  the  end  of  the 
trunk  and  bring  it  up  through  the  mouth.  By 
pulling  on  this  the  elephant  will  appear  to  put 
his  trunk  in  his  mouth,  especially  if  a  wire 
hook  be  hidden  in  the  end  of  the  trunk,  which 
will  catch  and  carry  up  to  the  mouth  some 
wisps  of  hay. 

Bend  and  fasten  to  the  backbone  say  nine 
ribs  on  a  side,  although  he  can  get  along  with 
less,  shaping  them  up  conveniently. 

Cover  and  stuff  out  neck,  body  and  legs. 

Legs.  Take  two  pairs  of  large  old  boots, 
stuff  around  and  cover  to  elephant  shape.  In 
doing  this,  the  boys  who  are  to  be  front-legs 


FAKE  ELEPHANT  93 

and  back-legs  must  put  on  the  shoulder  sup- 
ports and  get  into  the  boots. 

Then  measurements  may  be  made  and  a 
frame  arranged  to  hold  up  the  supports  when 
boys  are  not  inside.  Shape  and  stuff  the  tail. 
Make  and  stujff  the  ears,  fastening  so  that  they 
fall  back  flat  against  the  head.  Insert  into 
each  ear  a  stick  projecting  inside  the  head,  so 
arranged  that  a  string  carried  back  to  the  hind- 
legs  boy  enables  him  to  flap  forward  either  or 
both  ears.  A  similar  stick  in  the  tail  enables 
him  to  swing  that  sideways. 

Another  pair  of  strings  attached  to  the  upper 
eyelid  enables  the  hind-legs  boy  to  wink  the 
eyes.  Front-legs  boy  manages  head  and  trunk. 
Hind-legs  ears,  tail  and  eyelids.  Baby  Jumbo 
can  dance,  sit  down  (hind-legs  sits  down) 
walk,  swing  his  head  up  and  down,  swing  his 
trunk  sideways  and  all  around,  blow  a  piece  of 
paper  on  the  floor,  put  hay  in  his  mouth,  wag 
his  ears,  and  wink  his  eyes. 

When  all  is  fastened  and  properly  stuffed, 
cover  with  this  cheap  blue  grey  drugget.  In 
some  places  it  may  be  tacked  on,  in  others 
sewed  and  in  others  glued.     Try  to  make  join- 


94        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

ings  where  wrinkles  naturally  should  be  and 
pinch  the  cloth  up  a  bit  or  paint  wrinkles  over 
seams.  Shape  the  eyelids  properly,  put  small 
wires  in  the  edges  and  fasten  the  upper  eyelid 
with  elastic,  arranging  the  strings  to  wink 
them. 

Fasten  around  the  right  foreleg  an  iron  ring 
(polished  by  much  use)  to  which  Jumbo's 
chain  is  attached  when  he  is  in  his  stall. 

Put  on  enough  ribs  and  pad  them  so  your 
elephant  will  not  seem  too  starved  and  perhaps 
get  the  S.  F.  T.  P.  C.  T.  A.  after  you. 

The  cloth  skin  must  be  perfectly  smooth 
over  the  head  but  naturally  wrinkled  in  the 
proper  places.  A  hole  along  the  bottom  of  the 
belly  admits  the  boys  and  can  be  buttoned  up. 

A  tuft  of  coarse  black  hair  at  the  end  of  the 
tail  and  little  patches  gummed  on  the  cloth 
and  a  few  eyelashes  will  improve  baby 
Jumbo's  looks. 

A  little  grey  and  black  paint  about  the  head 
will  also  make  baby  Jumbo  more  beautiful. 
Do  the  best  you  can  with  the  eyes,  which  are 
difficult.     The  ears  are  easy. 

If  you  can  get  a  naturalist  to  help  you  so 


FAKE  ELEPHANT  95 

much  the  better.  If  not,  get  hold  of  a  book 
about  elephants,  with  pictures.  The  mouth 
need  not  open  and  can  be  shown  with  paint  or 
cloth.  It  is  surprising  how  natural  Jumbo 
will  seem  when  he  makes  his  bow  if  your 
dimensions  of  the  skeleton  are  correct.  Two 
small  holes  in  front  and  two  aft  enable  the  boys 
to  see.  As  this  elephant  is  designed  to  go 
through  an  ordinary  door,  he  is  a  bit  too  thin. 
He  can  easily  be  made  fatter  by  pushing  out 
the  ribs. 

Jumbo  should  be  exhibited  by  the  clown — 
if  there  is  one.  If  not  by  some  one  in  evening 
dress.  He  can  work  on  the  stage  or  better  in 
the  ring.  The  first  part  of  Jumbo's  act  should 
be  as  serious  as  if  he  were  real,  and  the  boys 
should  try  to  make  his  movements  perfectly 
natural. 

Later  on  he  can  do  foolish  and  impossible 
things.  For  example:  first  part.  Seesaw  on 
a  plank,  sit  on  a  chair.  Second,  disobey  the 
trainer.  Walk  twice  over  the  trainer  lying 
down;  second  time,  sit  on  him,  etc.  Jumbo 
dances.  Hind  legs  keep  on  when  front  are 
commanded  to  stop,  etc. 


96       AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

The  elephant  will  be  more  durable  if  cov- 
ered with  light  canvas  instead  of  cotton  before 
the  skin  cover  is  stretched  on,  and  instead  of 
grey  blue  drugget,  blue  denim  may  be  used  to 
cover  him,  but  the  colour  will  not  be  so  cor- 
rect. The  true  colour  of  an  elephant  is  a 
dirty  blue  grey.  If  denim  is  used,  rub  it  all 
over  with  dirt  and  then  brush  it  off.  That 
will  tone  down  the  blueness. 

Fake  Lion  Act.  This  must  be  given  on 
the  stage.  Build  as  natural  and  strong  look- 
ing a  cage  as  you  can,  not  less  than  six  feet  high 
inside.  The  door  must  work  w^ell  with  a  great 
clatter.  Three  or  four  small  boys  each  in  as 
good  an  imitation  of  a  lion  skin  and  head  as 
.possible.  The  trainer  should  appear  in  eve- 
ning costume  or  a  uniform.  He  carries  a  big 
whip.  (See  Hagenback  and  Bostock  books 
on  training  wild  animals,  in  any  public  li- 
brary.)    This  should  be  a  short  quick  act. 

Before  the  curtain  rises  have  all  the  com- 
pany roar  like  lions  behind  the  stage.  The 
orchestra  begins  incidental  music,  the  curtain 
rises,  the  trainer  bows  magnificently  and  en- 
ters the  cage  with  many  precautions  and  much 


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The 

Innocent 

Child 

Act. 

Class 

dives 

through 

on  to 

mat. 


53 

Same  but 
more 
difficult 
as  hoop 
is  higher. 


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ADVANCED  WORK 

Boys  in  class  like  to  give  fine  names  to  tricks.  This  was  named 
"The  Innocent  Child"  as  the  small  boy  with  the  hoop  might  get  a 
swift  kick  if  the  diver  is  careless  or  mischievous  and  he  is  therefore 
placed  with  his  back  to  the  diver  so  he  will  not  flinch.  As  a  matter 
of   course   only  practised   divers   are  allowed   to   try   it. 

The  spectacle  of  the  small  boy  on  the  mat  holding  the  hoop  alwavs 
makes  the  class  laugh,  the  opportunity  is  clear  and  tempting.  The 
low    position    is   much    easier    than    the    high. 


FAKE  ELEPHANT  97 

evident  fear  while  the  lions  jump  around  and 
charge  the  bars.  Trainer  puts  them  through 
an  act,  makes  as  much  funny  business  as  he 
can,  and  slips  out  taking  more  precautions. 

Two  or  three  attendants  behind  the  cage 
with  long  bars  assist,  to  protect  the  trainer. 
Trainer  bows  (to  applause  if  all  is  well  done) . 
Do  not  encore  this  act.  If  it  goes  very  well, 
for  an  encore  line  up  the  lions  on  the  stage 
holding  their  heads  in  their  paws  and  bowing 
their  natural  heads  with  pleased  grins  on  their 
faces,  the  trainer  posing  with  a  proud  air  in 
the  centre. 

Run  the  curtain  up  and  down  quickly  once 
or  twice. 

There  are  more  fake  animal  acts  practical 
but  space  fails  to  describe  them. 

Fake  Thrillers  are  sensational  acts,  or 
rather  imitations  of  sensational  acts,  for  the 
very  sufficient  reason  that  amateurs  are  not 
permitted  to  take  big  risks  and  real  thrillers 
invariably  are  risky — that  is  what  gives  the 
thrill. 

Example :  The  Boy  Shot  Out  of  a  Can- 
non.    Prepare  what  looks  like  a  cannon  out 


98        AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

of  painted  canvas  and  a  wooden  frame,  sur- 
round this  with  a  low  canvas  screen.  High 
up  in  the  roof  of  the  Gym  or  tent  is  a  platform, 
screened  by  a  curtain.  With  much  ceremony 
and  an  elaborate  speech  the  boy  is  put  head 
first  into  the  cannon,  then  business  of  pointing 
and  levelling  it  goes  on  while  the  boy  crawls 
out  of  the  cannon  and  runs  around  outside, 
getting  up  behind  the  curtain  on  the  little 
platform. 

As  soon  as  he  is  in  position  a  light  charge 
making  much  smoke  and  noise  is  fired  off  from 
the  cannon  and  the  boy  instantly  appears  from 
behind  the  curtain  or  better  between  the  two 
curtains.  If  all  this  is  done  smartly,  the  trick 
will  not  be  at  once  discovered  by  many  in  the 
audience. 

When  I  saw  it  done  in  Brooklyn,  however, 
the  details  were  not  well  managed.  You 
could  see  the  boy's  feet  while  he  was  waiting 
for  the  cannon  to  go  off,  as  the  curtains  were 
too  short,  so  there  was  no  illusion  except  for 
pretty  small  children. 


CHAPTER  IX 

TRAINING  ANIMALS 

You  are  not  likely  to  attempt  to  train  wild 
animals.  They  are  always  dangerous  and  re- 
quire too  much  time.  The  same  is  true  of 
elephants,  and  seals  are  hard  to  get  and  harder 
to  take  care  of.  The  amateur  is  reduced  to 
horses,  pigs,  geese,  cats,  and  dogs. 

The  horse  is  the  most  stupid  of  all  domesti- 
cated animals,  perhaps,  and  has  an  unreliable 
memory.  I  recall  Roland  the  Great.  This 
horse  had  been  on  the  stage  for  six  years.  One 
day  the  owner  of  Roland,  much  excited,  came 
to  see  me. 

"What  you  t'ink,"  he  said;  "that  fool  horse 
has  forgotten  his  act,  and  we're  on  the  bill  to- 
morrow night."  Which  meant  that  Roland 
the  Great  had  mixed  up  the  signals. 

It  appeared  that  the  Act  had  just  arrived  in 
Yucatan  and  had  been  at  sea  for  six  days  dur- 

99 


loo      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

ing  which,  naturally,  there  was  no  opportunity 
to  rehearse. 

'What  will  you  do?'' 

^'Do !  I  rehearse  all  day  to-morrow  and  see 
if  that  fool  horse  can  remember  his  act."  He 
went  off  gloomily,  talking  to  himself,  and  it 
looked  like  a  bad  time  for  Roland. 

Now  the  signals  taught  to  an  educated  horse 
must  be  so  slight  as  not  to  be  seen  by  the  audi- 
ence. 

I  later  learned  that  Roland  had  to  remem- 
ber only  three  signals,  one  to  paw  his  feet,  one 
to  swing  his  head  up  and  down,  which  meant 
"yes,"  and  the  third  to  swing  his  head  side- 
ways; that  meant  "no."  The  pawing  of  the 
foot  was  for  counting.  He  was  a  beautiful 
white  horse,  too  stupid  to  be  afraid  of  an  audi- 
ence. The  professor  must  have  enlightened 
him,  for  the  next  night  I  saw  him  at  the  circus, 
and  he  made  only  two  or  three  mistakes.  Of 
course,  he  was  immensely  advertised  as  a  won- 
derful "Educated  Horse." 

Cats  are  difficult  and  unreliable.  I  am  told 
there  are  only  two  good  cat  acts  to-day  in  the 
United  States. 


TRAINING  ANIMALS         ibr 

The  amateur  will  probably  choose  a  dog. 
In  arranging  an  act  with  a  dog  in  it  he 
is  taught  to  do  certain  things,  and  the  rest 
the  trainer  does.  For  instance,  if  there 
is  dialogue  introduced,  you  give  him  a 
signal,  and  he  barks,  and  you  talk  so  that 
his  bark  is  an  answer,  so.  "Do  you  want 
to  dive  for  the  ladies,  Billy?"  Signal. 
Billy  barks.  *^Come  on  then."  Holds  a  hoop 
put. 

You  fire  a  gun  at  him.  He  falls  down  and 
pretends  to  be  dead,  and  so  on. 

The  Rabbit  Hunt.  Mr.  Phil  Daly,  one 
of  the  Barnum  and  Bailey  clowns,  in  191 5  had 
two  dogs  who  did  this.  Each  dog  wore  a  rab- 
bit head  over  his  own,  fastened  around  the 
neck,  and  with  holes  to  see  through.  The 
clown  was  made  up  as  a  hunter.  The  two 
dogs  trotted  a  little  way  behind  him.  When 
he  turned  and  fired  at  the  supposed  rabbits 
both  dogs  lay  down  and  played  dead.  As 
soon  as  he  went  on,  they  jumped  up  and  fol- 
lowed him.  The  rabbit  heads  are  made  of 
cloth  painted,  and  have  large  upstanding  ears. 
The  effect  is  very  good,  but  depends  upon  the 


102      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

dog  dropping  dead  and  getting  up  again  at  the 
right  moment. 

If  you  can  train  three  or  four  dogs,  it  is  easy 
to  make  an  act  for  the  stage.  A  fire  company, 
etc. 

Birds  are  all  difficult  for  lack  of  intelli- 
gence, except  the  sulphur-crested  cockatoo. 
They  are  difficult  also  on  account  of  liability 
to  illness.  Pigs  are  hard  to  train  because  they 
are  so  obstinate.  Geese  have  very  little  intelli- 
gence. 

Monkeys  also  suffer  much  from  illness  and 
are  very  unsteady.  To  train  an  ape  is  an  end- 
less job,  besides  which  they  bite  badly. 

To  teach  a  dog  to  play  dead  until  he  gets  his 
signal  is  not  sc  very  difficult,  if  you  are  patient 
and  practise  steadily  every  day;  or  to  teach 
him  to  sit  up  and  beg,  to  stand  on  his  head,  to 
walk  on  his  hind  or  front  legs,  to  jump  over 
something  or  through  hoops,  and  do  the  high 
jump.  Your  dog  must  not  be  too  old  and 
must  not  be  overfed.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
whip  him,  unless  he  is  sulky  and  will  not  obey. 
When  he  understands  he  will  almost  always 
try  to  do  what  you  want  him  to  do.     But  it  is 


TRAINING  ANIMALS  103 

necessary  to  reward  him,  with  caresses  and 
praises  and  a  lump  of  sugar  or  something  he 
likes.  Regular  everyday  lessons  are  the  thing, 
and  the  more  he  learns,  the  faster  he  will  learn. 

A  dog  is  very  useful  in  building  up  a  clown 
act  or  a  tumbling  act,  as  explained  in  the  act 
called  "The  Sanreyes." 

I  would  suggest  for  amateur  work  the  fol- 
lowing training.  Bring  the  dog  to  the  prac- 
tise place  and  teach  him  to  sit  at  one  side  or  on 
a  chair  until  called  out  to  work.  This  is  for 
him  the  same  as  the  discipline  for  boys  and 
girls  of  which  I  have  said  so  much.  If  he 
leaves  his  place  without  being  called,  scold 
him;  but  never  hit  him.  When  practise  is 
over  reward  him.  He  should  sit  up  all  the 
time,  and  not  lie  down. 

As  soon  as  he  understands  and  does  this 
properly  begin  to  teach  him,  trying  only  one 
thing  at  a  time,  and  not  attempting  another 
until  he  has  learned  the  first.  First,  the  roll : 
teach  this  just  as  you  would  to  a  boy,  explain- 
ing kindly,  bending  his  head  and  front  legs 
and  rolling  him  over.  Patiently  giving  les- 
son after  lesson,  some  day  he  will  get  the  idea 


I04      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

and  do  it  himself.  Form  in  his  case  is  of  no 
importance,  so  as  soon  as  he  gets  a  roll  over  at 
the  signal,  nothing  more  is  required. 

Then  teach  him  to  stand  on  his  head  and 
front  legs;  next,  to  walk  on  his  hind  or  front 
legs.  Here,  you  must  hold  him  up  all  the 
time.  Do  not  forget  to  praise  him  and  reward 
him  with  sugar  or  something  else  the  first  few 
times  he  does  well.  Next,  or  before  the  last 
trick,  teach  him  to  sit  balanced  on  your  head, 
to  jump  on  your  back  and  walk  up  to  your 
head.  A  more  difficult  thing  is  to  teach  him 
to  do  a  back  air  turn.  In  this  it  is  necessary 
to  use  a  small  mechanic  fitted  to  him  and 
strapped  around  the  chest.  Never  let  him  get 
bumped.  Tell  him  to  jump;  and  when  he 
jumps,  throw  him  over,  precisely  as  you  would 
help  a  boy.  All  of  these  foregoing  tricks  are 
for  a  small  dog  about  the  size  of  a  fox  terrier. 

A  larger  dog  can  learn  to  do  the  roll,  hoop 
diving,  and  high  jumping.  In  hoop  diving 
it  is  unnecessary  to  teach  him  to  do  a  roll  after 
diving  through  the  hoop.  Give  him  one 
hoop,  then  two,  and  lastly  three  held  a  little 
apart.     In  the  jumping,  of  course,  he  begins 


TRAINING  ANIMALS  105 

on  a  low  jump ;  then  takes  a  higher  and  so  on 
to  his  top  point,  landing  always  on  a  mat. 

If  the  act  with  the  dog  follows  on  the  pro- 
gramme after  the  class  diving,  the  hoop  diving 
by  the  dog  will  be  better  appreciated  by  an 
audience.  If  the  dog  is  taught  to  go  first 
through  an  empty  hoop  or  two  and  then  breaks 
a  paper  covered  hoop  he  is  sure  of  applause. 

All  of  these  acts  described  can  be  done  by  a 
fox  terrier  so  that  if  there  is  any  choice  this  is 
the  best  kind  of  dog  to  select.  Even  when  the 
dog  has  learned  only  two  tricks  he  can  be 
used  in  a  typical  act  like  ^^The  Sanreyes,"  pro- 
vided he  has  learned  his  discipline  and  cues 
first.  After  he  has  learned  to  take  his  place 
and  obey  his  cues  the  order  of  teaching  the 
tricks  and  the  tricks  taught  may  be  varied  ac- 
cording to  the  need  of  the  proposed  act.  It 
is  the  discipline  of  the  dog  that  is  essential. 
After  that  is  obtained  with  patience  any 
needed  trick  may  be  taught.  The  less  punish- 
ment and  scolding  the  better.  A  dog  in  good 
health  is  almost  invariably  willing  to  practise 
and  learn  and  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that 
before  an  audience,  just  as  boys  and  girls,  he 


io6      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

is  apt  to  be  excited.  If  several  dogs  are  work- 
ing together,  again  like  boys  and  girls  they  be- 
come jealous  and  quarrelsome.  It  is  uncer- 
tain whether  they  understand  applause  from 
an  audience;  but  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  a 
good  performer  knows  his  cues  and  is  wildly 
anxious  to  do  his  trick  well.  The  dog  and  the 
elephant,  once  they  have  learned  an  act,  never 
forget  it.  Indeed  it  is  difficult  to  get  an  ele- 
phant to  change  the  order  of  tricks  and  cut 
one  out.  With  this  done,  they  are  apt  to  re- 
fuse to  go  on,  so  that  no  one  thinks  of  shorten- 
ing or  lengthening  an  elephant  act  unexpect- 
edly. Both  elephant  and  dog  at  times  will 
practise  their  tricks  alone. 

But  you  can  rely  on  Baby  Jumbo  described 
in  Chapter  VIII  after  he  has  been  rehearsed 
two  or  three  times ;  he  will  do  his  act  correctly 
whenever  desired. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  OLD-FASHIONED  MINSTREL  SHOW 

The  old-fashioned  negro  minstrel  show  was 
a  delightful  entertainment.  Have  the  mov- 
ing pictures  killed  it  or  is  it  that  the  talented 
artists  find  better  paid  employment  elsewhere? 
I  v^onder.  Certainly  the  combination  of 
lovely  music  and  good  old  time-tested  jokes 
made  many  people  happy. 

A  minstrel  show  is  impossible  unless  you 
have  the  voices.  Songs  poorly  sung  have  no 
value.     It  also  requires  a  lot  of  practise. 

If  the  talent  is  available,  a  minstrel  show 
may  be  used  alone  or  as  a  short  act  on  the  stage 
or  an  afterpart.  It  is  not  suitable  for  the 
circus  ring.  This  is  a  sample  programme  for 
a  show  about  two  hours  long,  but  of  course 
the  songs  must  depend  on  what  the  company 
can  sing. 

107 


io8      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 
ALL  STAR  MINSTRELS 

First  Part 
Opening  Chorus.  "Swanee  River."       Entire  Company. 

Jokes  by  end  man. 
Song.  "Mary,  you're  a  big  girl  now."  John  Smith, 

Jokes  by  end  man. 
Song.  "Mandy,  how  do  you  do."  Harry  Jones, 

Conundrums  by  end  man. 
Song.  ^'Garden  of  Roses."  Quartette. 

Jokes  by  end  man. 
Song.  "Put  on  your  old  grey  bonnet."  Wm,  Brown, 

Jokes  by  end  man. 
Song.  "Sometime,  Somewhere."  John  Smith. 

Conundrums  by  end  man. 
Song.  "Sugar  Moon."  Harry  Jones. 

Jokes  by  end  man. 
Finale.  Entire  Company. 


Second  Part 
Monologue  or  Stump  speech. 
Sketch.  "Black  Magic." 
Dancing,  Banjo  or  guitar  specialty. 
After-piece.  "Captain  Swell." 


John  Smith. 

Smith  and  Jones. 

Harry  Brown, 


The  old-fashioned  negro  minstrel  costume 
is  rather  elaborate.  The  quartette,  or  singers, 
should  wear  full  evening  dress  suits  with  white 
waistcoats,  black  ties,  and  standing  collar's, 
white  gloves,  and  boutonniere,  and  black  dress 
wigs  instead  of  the  common  wigs.     The  end 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        109 

men  should  wear  fancy  coloured  ties  and  cos- 
tumes, comic  wigs, — in  fact  anything  to  make 
them  look  eccentric — the  more  burlesque  the 
better.     For  boys,  all  wigs  may  be  omitted. 

In  the  matter  of  making  up  the  face,  use 
only  the  best  prepared  burnt  cork,  which  can 
be  obtained  from  any  dealer  in  theatrical  face- 
preparations  or  can  be  made  by  burning  and 
charring  corks.  Moisten  the  hands  with 
water  and  take  a  small  quantity  of  the  cork, 
rubbing  it  in  the  palm  of  your  hands  until  it 
becomes  a  thin  paste,  then  apply  to  the  skin; 
when  it  dries,  brush  the  surface  gently  with 
some  soft  substance.  Another  and  more  eco- 
nomical way,  if  there  are  several  to  be  made 
up,  is  to  get  a  couple  of  small  paint  brushes 
and,  after  mixing  your  burnt  cork  in  a  dish 
with  water  until  it  is  about  as  thick  as  cream, 
have  two  men  paint  the  faces  of  the  others, 
and  in  this  way  save  a  lot  of  time.  Never 
mix  the  burnt  cork  with  anything  but  water. 
If  you  wish  to  represent  an  old  darkey,  use 
white  chalk  or  grease  paint  under  the  eyes  and 
for  the  wrinkles,  and  iron  grey  hair  for  the 
eyebrows  and  beard.     Be  sure  and  have  the 


no      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

burnt  cork  even  around  the  mouth  and  eyes. 
If  you  wish  to  have  the  lips  a  deeper  red,  or 
larger  for  the  end  men,  use  carmine  grease 
paint.  Running  it  down  produces  a  surly 
expression. 

For  getting  the  cork  off  the  face,  I  do  not 
advise  the  use  of  grease  or  cold  cream  of  any 
kind,  as  it  washes  off  perfectly  well  with  the 
aid  of  plenty  of  soap  and  water.  Get  a  good 
lather  and  use  a  sponge. 

In  preparing  a  show  for  public  entertain- 
ment there  are  several  very  important  details 
to  bear  in  mind.  It  is  necessary  to  impress 
upon  those  who  are  to  take  part  the  absolute 
importance  of  being  on  time  at  the  rehearsals, 
for  the  late  ones  cause  uneasiness  and  impa- 
tience that  greatly  interferes  with  the  show. 

Select  some  member  to  act  as  stage-manager, 
with  whom  must  rest  all  power  behind  the 
curtain.  It  should  be  his  duty  to  regulate  the 
hours  of  rehearsals,  to  arrange  for  the  proper 
^'settings"  of  the  stage,  to  make  up  the  order 
of  the  programme,  to  settle  any  little  misun- 
derstanding that  may  arise  as  he  may  best 
consider  for  the  general  interest  of  the  per- 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        in 

formance,  and  his  orders  should  go  in  every 
detail  of  matters  concerning  the  stage. 

Two  or  three  dress  rehearsals  are  necessary 
to  insure  a  perfect  performance,  when  every 
one  taking  part  should  dress  for  each  char- 
acter they  are  to  assume  and  make  themselves 
up  precisely  as  they  intend  to  do  at  the  regu- 
lar performance  so  that  any  defects,  if  they 
exist,  may  be  corrected.  The  entire  pro- 
gramme ought  to  be  given  from  the  ringing 
up  and  the  going  down  of  the  curtain  with  the 
same  care  in  every  detail  as  at  the  perform- 
ance. After  the  rehearsal  it  is  well  to  cor- 
rect the  faults  immediately,  while  they  are 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  actors. 

Arrange  your  circle  of  chairs,  placing  the 
interlocutor  in  the  middle.  Have  the  second 
row  of  chairs  on  a  staging  high  enough  so  that 
those  sitting  on  them  can  rest  their  feet  on  the 
rounds  of  the  chairs  in  the  first  row,  and  the 
third  row  in  the  same  manner. 

When  it  has  been  decided  to  have  a  minstrel 
show,  if  you  do  not  have  a  professional  coach 
get  a  good  musician  or  piano  player  to  pull 
your  company  together.    Sing  a  few  practise 


112      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

songs  so  as  to  sort  out  the  voices.  Pick  out 
the  end  men,  and  if  you  decide  to  have  a  quar- 
tette, or  even  a  double  quartette,  have  them 
practise  their  "turns"  or  songs  together  in 
addition  to  the  regular  rehearsals;  they  can- 
not do  too  much  rehearsing,  for  the  end  men, 
especially,  should  work  together  like  clock 
work.  If  you  have  six  end  men,  four  of  them 
will  no  doubt  be  good  singers ;  the  others  can 
get  along  all  right  by  talking  the  songs,  this 
often  being  found  very  effective.  If  you  want 
to  make  a  hit  with  an  amateur  show,  make  it 
short  and  run  it  like  lightning. 

Minstrel  shows  are  one  of  the  most  popular 
forms  of  amusements  and  give  a  better  chance 
for  members  of  a  club,  lodge  or  college  to  pre- 
sent their  talent  before  the  public  than  any- 
thing else ;  and  a  great  variety  of  settings  can 
be  used  and  made  either  simple  or  elaborate. 
For  instance  if  you  do  not  care  for  the  circle, 
you  can  have  the  stage  arranged  as  the  deck  of 
a  boat  or  as  a  southern  plantation,  or  as  a  "roof 
garden."  If  you  have  military  or  scout  uni- 
forms, a  "camp  scene"  is  very  effective,  also 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        113 

a  "banquet  scene"  with  the  company  all  sitting 
around  the  table. 

The  end  men  should  be  selected  with  the 
greatest  care,  as  the  success  of  the  show  de- 
pends largely  on  them.  The  jokes  should  be 
practised  over  and  over  again,  every  one  get- 
ting thoroughly  used  to  them  and  the  man- 
ner of  telling  them,  so  that  when  you  face  the 
audience  you  will  not  lose  your  self-control. 
Always  appear  amused,  and  have  a  good 
time  with  the  audience  when  telling  the  sto- 
ries. 

The  interlocutor,  or  middle-man,  is  another 
most  important  part.  He  should  be  a  boy  or 
man  with  a  dignified  manner,  taking  plenty  of 
time  and  working  up  the  joke  until  it  is  ready 
for  the  point  which  the  end  man  gives  in  his 
answer.  He  should  have  the  entire  pro- 
gramme and  "cues"  for  the  jokes  and  songs  on 
his  fan  or  paper,  as  the  responsibility  of  the 
show  is  on  his  shoulders. 

The  following  jokes  were  printed  fifty 
years  ago.  For  how  many  generations  they 
have  amused  people — no  man  knows.     They 


114      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

survive  in  the  circus  ring,  I  suppose,  because 
the  humour  is  elemental.  Good  old  enduring 
jokes,  they  will  be  found  useful  and  in  the  ring 
or  on  the  stage  are  serviceable  where  really 
finer,  fresher  wit  would  not  do  at  all.  They 
may  be  used  for  negro  minstrel  work  or  for 
clown  work  in  the  ring. 

This  one  used  before  the  rider  jumps 
through  the  paper  covered  hoop  may  be 
changed,  if  a  clown  works  with  a  tumbling 
class,  to  use  with  hoop  diving. 

Ned. — What  is  he  going  to  do  with  the  bal- 
loon? 

Master. — Jump  through  it. 

Ned. — What,  horse  and  all? 

Master. — No,  you  blockhead,  the  rider. 

Ned. — Without  bursting  the  paper? 

Master. — Certainly;  he  will  have  to  burst 
the  paper  in  order  to  jump  through  it. 

Ned. — I  can  jump  through  it  without  burst- 
ing the  paper. 

Master. — Impossible,  sir. 

Ned. — I'll  bet  you  five  dollars. 

Master. — Done,  I  will  take  the  bet. 

Ned. — All    right.     Hold  up   the  balloon. 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        115 

(Master  turns  his  back  to  the  clown  and  holds 
up  the  balloon.)     Are  you  all  ready? 

Master. — Yes,  sir. 

Ned. —  (Catches  boy  from  among  the  audi- 
ence, throws  him  through  the  balloon,  then 
jumps  through  himself.)  There,  sir,  I  won 
the  bet;  I  did  not  burst  the  paper.  (Boy  runs 
out  of  ring,  very  much  frightened.) 

The  Men  We  Want 

Ned. — The  horse  has  stopped.  I  suppose 
there  is  more  work  for  me? 

Master. — Yes,  sir,  see  what  the  rider 
wants. 

Ned. — There  are  a  great  many  things 
wanted  nowadays.  I  saw,  by  this  morning's 
papers,  that  Harry  Gennett  is  wanted,  not  by 
the  people  to  serve  them  in  office,  but  by  the 
sheriff,  to  serve  the  people  in  prison.  What 
the  people  want  is  honest  men  in  office  to  serve 
them. 

God  gives  men!     A  time  like  this  demands 
Strong  minds,   great  hearts,   true   faith   and 

steady  hands ; 
Men  whom  the  lust  of  office  does  not  kill. 


ii6      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Men  whom  the  spoils  of  office  cannot  buy; 
Men  who  possess  opinions  and  a  will; 
Men  who  have  honour;  men  who  will  not  lie; 
Men  who  can  stand  against  a  demagogue 
And  damn  his  treacherous  flatteries  without 

winking; 
Tall  men,  sun-crowned,  who  live  above  the  fog 
In  public  duty,  and  in  private  thinking; 
For  while  the  rabble,  with  their  thumb-worn 

creeds, 
Their  large  professions  and  their  little  deeds. 
Mingle  in  selfish  strife,  lo!     Freedom  sleeps, 
Wrong  rules  the  land,  and  waiting  Justice 

weeps. 

Why  are  young  ladies  like  arrows? 
Because  they  can't  go  off  without  a  bow 
(beau) ,  and  are  in  a  quiver  till  they  get  one. 

Why  is  a  pawnbroker  like  an  inebriate? 

Because  he  takes  the  pledge,  but  cannot  al- 
ways keep  it. 

Love 

Ned. — Miraculous!  wonderful!  That  lit- 
tle child  is  so  handsome  and  talented  that  a 
person  cannot  help  loving  him. 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        117 

Master— What  is  love? 

Ned. — Love  is  a  small  decoction  of  electric 
fluid,  bound  up  in  a  woman's  heart  and  dealt 
out  in  small  quantities  to  suit  purchasers.  I 
take  about  a  dime's  vv^orth  twice  a  week.  But 
of  all  the  love  affairs  in  the  world,  none  can 
surpass  the  true  love  of  a  big  boy  for  his 
mother.  It  is  a  love  pure  and  honourable  in 
the  highest  degree  to  both.  I  do  not  mean 
merely  a  dutiful  affection — I  mean  a  love  that 
makes  a  boy  gallant  and  courteous  to  his 
mother,  saying  to  everybody,  plainly,  that  he 
is  fairly  in  love  with  her.  Next  to  the  love  of 
her  husband,  nothing  so  crowns  a  woman's 
life  with  honour  as  this  second  love,  this  de- 
votion of  a  son  to  her.  I  never  yet  knew  a  boy 
to  turn  out  bad,  who  began  by  falling  in  love 
with  his  mother;  but  show  me  a  son  who  does 
not  love  his  mother  and  I  will  show  you  a  boy 
that  is  fit  for  the  gallows. 

Master. — You  seem  to  understand  all 
about  love. 

Ned. — I  do,  for  I  have  been  there. 

Master. — And  pray  how  did  you  feel? 

Ned. — I  felt  as  though  I  was  away  up  in  the 


ii8      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

clouds  between  two  wheat  cakes,  and  a  lot  of 
little  angels  were  pouring  molasses  all  over 
me. 

Master. — Well,  how  do  you  feel  when  the 
young  lady  gives  you  the  mitten? 

Ned. — Then  you  don't  feel  quite  so  good; 
you  feel  as  though  there  was  a  lot  of  little 
devils  up  there  licking  the  molasses  all  off 
again. 

Contentment 

Master. — Come,  sir,  stop  that  foolishness, 
and  find  contentment  by  assisting  those  gentle- 
men. 

Ned. — Find  contentment?  That  is  some- 
thing that  I  have  been  hunting  for  for  some 
time,  and  I  found  it  at  last.  It's  an  imaginary 
place  laid  down  on  the  map,  but  it  has  not 
been  settled  yet ;  and  those  reach  it  soonest  who 
throw  away  their  compass  and  go  it  blind. 

When  is  a  butterfly  like  a  kiss? 
When  it  alights  on  tulips. 

What  kind  of  money  do  ladies  prefer? 
Matri-money. 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        119 

When  should  a  tavern  keeper  visit  an  iron 
foundry? 

When  he  wants  a  bar  made. 

Why  is  the  letter  U  the  gayest  in  the  alpha- 
bet? 

Because  it  is  always  in  fun. 

Why  is  Sunday  the  strongest? 
Because  all  the  others  are  week-ddiys. 
Yes,  but  it  is  often  broken. 

Why  is  a  rich  man  like  a  dog's  tail? 
Because  the  rich  man  keeps  a  carriage  and 
the  dog's  tail  keeps  a  wagging  (waggon). 

How  do  you  measure  your  lover's  sincerity? 
By  his  sighs. 

What  requires  more  philosophy  than  tak- 
ing things  as  they  come? 

Parting  with  them  as  they  go. 

When  was  beef-steak  the  highest? 
When  the  cow  jumped  over  the  moon. 


I20      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Another  one  to  be  used  with  hoop  diving  is 

Whooping  Cough. 
Ned. — Do  you  call  this  a  hoop? 
Master.— Yes,  sir. 

Ned. — Did  I  have  a  thing  like  that  in  me 
when  I  had  the  whooping  cough? 
Master. — Nonsense,  sir. 

Two  Noah  Jokes 

When  was  pork  first  introduced  into  the 
navy? 

When  Noah  brought  Ham  into  the  ark. 

What  is  the  difference  between  Noah's  Ark 
and  Joan  of  Arc? 

One  was  made  of  wood,  the  other  was  Maid 
of  Orleans. 

Sportsman 

Ned. — ^You  put  me  in  mind  of  a  nobby 
sportsman,  with  that  whip  in  your  hand. 

Master.— How  so? 

Ned. — (Because  when  he  goes  a  fishing  he 
has  a  long  pole  with  a  string  attached  to  it, 
and  there  is  a  fool  at  one  end  of  it,  and  a  worm 
at  the  other. 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        121 

Master. —  (Whips.)     I  am  no  fool,  sir. 
Ned. — Then  you  must  be  the  worm. 

What  is  the  difference  between  a  hungry 
man  and  a  glutton? 

One  longs  to  eat,  and  the  other  eats  too  long. 

What  plant  is  fatal  to  mice? 
The  cat-nip. 

Wanted 
A  mile-post  from  the  road  to  death. 
A  finger  to  fit  the  ring  of  a  laugh. 
A  smile  from  the  face  of  a  clock. 
A  needle  and  thread  to  sew  a  patch  on  the 
pants  of  a  tired  dog. 

A  suit  of  clothes  to  fit  a  large  body  of  water. 

Some  moss  from  the  rock  of  a  cradle. 

A  plank  from  the  bridge  of  a  man's  nose. 

Some  yarn  to  knit  a  person's  brow. 

A  nut  from  a  thunderbolt. 

A  cure  for  a  pane  of  glass. 

A  rafter  from  the  roof  of  the  mouth. 

Some  teeth  from  the  jaws  of  death. 

A  crust  from  the  roll  of  the  ocean. 

The  chair  in  which  the  sun  sets. 


122      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

A  fence  made  from  the  railing  of  a  scolding 
wife. 

An  egg  from  the  nest  of  thieves. 

A  horse  to  travel  round  the  course  of  love. 

A  spark  from  the  blazing  eyes  of  a  tigress. 

A  head  to  fit  a  wreath  of  smiles. 

A  wag  from  the  tail  of  a  dog. 

A  leg  from  a  duck  of  a  bonnet. 

A  pupil  from  the  eye  of  a  needle. 

Another  Hoop  Joke 
son  of  a  gun 

Ned. — Master,  do  you  know  that  I  came 
very  near  being  a  soldier? 

Master. — How  so? 

Ned. — ^To-day  a  little  boy  called  me  a  son 
of  a  gun,  and  the  little  fellow  is  right. 

Master. — And  why  was  he  right? 

Ned. — Because  I  came  in  a  direct  line  from 
a  good  old  stock.  Speaking  of  soldiering,  are 
you  a  good  shot? 

Master. — I  am. 

Ned. — Well,  I  will  bet  you  five  dollars  that 
if  I  take  this  hoop  and  stand  right  here  (stand- 
ing on  the  bank  of  the  ring) ,  and  you  go  over 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        123 

to  the  opposite  side  of  the  ring,  that  you  cannot 
walk  up  to  me  and  put  your  finger  into  this 
hoop. 

Master. — You  will  lose  your  money. 

Ned.— Will  you  bet? 

Master. — Yes,  sir,  as  I  am  certain  to  win. 
(Master  takes  his  position,  and  walks  toward 
Ned  with  his  arm  extended,  pointing  for  the 
centre  of  the  hoop.) 

Ned. — Hold  up,  you  must  close  your  eyes. 

Master. — I  did  not  make  that  bargain. 

Ned. — Well,  I  will  give  you  a  chance  for 
your  money.  I  will  keep  talking  all  the  time, 
but  you  must  keep  your  eyes  closed. 

Master. — All  right.  (Closes  eyes  and 
walks  toward  Ned.) 

Ned. — A  little  more  to  the  right,  now  to  the 
left,  now  you  are  all  right;  walk  straight 
ahead.  (Master  walks  up,  puts  his  finger 
through  the  hoop  into  Ned's  mouth.  Ned 
bites  his  finger,  makes  hurried  exit.) 

Fool 
Master. — Come,  get  up  on  that  pedestal, 
you  fool. 


124      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Ned. — How  do  you  know  that  I  am  a  fool? 
Master. — I  see  it  in  your  face. 
Ned.— Well,   that's   the   first  time   that   I 
knew  that  my  face  was  a  looking-glass. 

When  do  ladies  carry  fire? 
When  they  have  taper  fingers. 

Pet  Names 

Ned. — Master,  are  you  fond  of  pet  names? 

Master. — Yes,  very. 

Ned. — I  have  utilised  a  few.  Now,  for  in- 
stance, a  printer's  wife  ought  to  be  named  Em ; 
a  sport's  wife,  Bet-ty;  a  lawyer's  wife  Sue; 
a  teamster's  wife,  Carrie;  a  fisherman's  wife, 
Net-ty;  a  shoemaker's  wife,  Peg-gy;  a  carpet- 
man's  wife.  Mat-tie;  an  auctioneer's  wife, 
Bid-dy;  a  chemist's  wife,  Ann  Eliza;  an  en- 
gineer's wife,  Bridg-it. 

Wanted  to  Know 

If  a  man  who  turned  a  somersault  (summer 
salt)  was  able  to  turn  it  fresh  again? 

If  when  a  "man's  brain  is  on  fire,"  water 
can  be  used  as  an  extinguisher? 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        125 

If  the  individual  who  ^^murdered  a  tune" 
was  ever  brought  to  justice? 

Whether  there  ever  was  an  eclipse  of  the 
honeymoon? 

Your  Choice 

Ned. — If  you  had  your  choice,  would  you 
rather  die,  an  Irishman  or  an  American? 

Master. — Being  an  American  I  would 
prefer  dying  an  American. 

Ned. — There's  where  I  differ  with  you.  I 
would  prefer  to  die  a  true  son  of  the  Emerald 
Isle. 

Master.— Why  so? 

Ned. — Because  when  an  American  dies  he's 
buried  and  that's  the  last  of  him. 

Master.— Very  true. 

Ned. — But  when  an  Irishman  dies — 

Master.— Well,  sir,  what  then? 

Ned. — His  friends  always  wake  him. 

Boiled  Egg  Joke 

Ned. — ^Why,  how  do  you  do,  Charley? 
Mr.  Seamon  is  a  smart  young  man — 


126      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Master. — Why  do  you  call  him  a  smart 
young  man? 

Ned. — Because  the  other  day  he  bought  a 
lot  of  laying  hens,  and  he  thought  he  would 
try  an  experiment,  so  he  gave  them  all  boiling 
water. 

Master. — ^What  did  he  give  them  boiling 
water  for? 

Ned. — To  see  if  he  could  not  make  them 
lay  boiled  eggs. 

*^They  will  not  recognise  me  in  the  other 
world,"  said  a  Marshal  of  France  on  his 
deathbed,  "it  is  so  long  a  time  since  a  Mar- 
shal of  France  has  gone  there  with  a  head  on 
his  shoulders."     Marshal  Saint-Geran,  1632. 

That  is  a  concise  witty  saying.  Try  to  fit 
it  for  clown  or  minstrel  use  and  it  will  be 
seen  at  once  that  it  has  not  the  right  form  and 
requires  too  much  explanation.  These  old 
jokes,  so  banal  to  read,  are  given  last  be- 
cause they  have  the  right  form  and  when  the 
clown  is  working  hard  to  get  the  whole  audi- 
ence laughing,  produce  the  effect  desired.  It 
is  not  enough  that  part  of  an    audience  is 


THE  MINSTREL  SHOW        127 

amused.  When  the  curtain  rings  down  you 
will  be  fortunate  if  you  have  earned  such 
kindly  words  as  these  quaint  old  press  notices 
written  about  the  clown  who  used  these  jokes 
and  on  whom  the  curtain  fell  finally  years  ago. 

"Mr.  Ned  Turner  impersonated  the  part  he 
had  taken  (jester  to  the  ring)  with  a  consid- 
erable degree  of  fidelity,  avoiding  a  too  com- 
mon error  among  clowns — that  of  unnatural 
straining  after  effect — and  acted  upon  the  sen- 
sible presumption  that  the  audience  would  be 
better  pleased  with  a  faithful  representation 
of  the  character  he  had  assumed,  than  with 
the  self-conceived  greatness  and  attractiveness 
of  the  actor.  He  was  rewarded  for  his  wit 
and  sentiment  with  frequent  outbursts  of  ap- 
plause.— Quincy,  IlL,  Evening  Call, 

Mr.  Ned  Turner  is  a  talented  clown,  and 
fully  sustained  the  reputation  that  he  has 
gained  for  himself  throughout  the  West. — 
Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  Nonpareil, 

Mr.  Ned  Turner  is  a  gentleman  who  pos- 
sesses sterling  qualities,  both  as  a  man  and  a 
jester. — Quincy,  IlL,  News, 

Among  the  special  attractions,  Mr.  Ned 


128  .   AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Turner,  the  jester,  is  still  foremost.  His 
ready  and  sharp  wit,  combined  with  the  per- 
fection of  his  art,  have  indeed  stamped  him 
as  unapproachable. — Charleston,  S.  C,  Morn- 
ing News. 

Ned  Turner  is  the  most  gentlemanly  jester 
in  the  equestrian  profession.  His  jokes  are 
gems  of  wit  and  wisdom,  sense  and  nonsense." 
— Chicago  Journal, 


CHAPTER  XI 

COSTS  AND  CHARGES 

A  fifteen  foot  mat,  or  better  two  mats  eight 
by  three  feet  and  about  two  inches  thick,  cost 
about  fifteen  dollars.  A  dozen  hoops  are 
needed,  a  table,  two  chairs,  a  small  handwalk- 
ing  staircase,  paper  balloons,  etc.,  say  $5  in 
all.  A  fake  elephant  will  cost  about  $15  to 
make.  A  clown's  costume  about  75  cents. 
Fifty  cents'  worth  of  make-up  is  enough  for  a 
show.  Negro  minstrel  costumes  can  be  calcu- 
lated, according  to  one's  plans.  A  good  acro- 
batic costume  for  a  class  shown  in  the  illustra- 
tions will  cost  a  little  less  than  $3.50  apiece 
not  counting  the  sneakers  and  it  is  foolish  to 
buy  expensive  shoes  and  tights  until  one  is 
really  a  good  performer  and  knows  how  to 
take  care  of  them.  You  can  learn  just  as  well 
in  cheap  things. 

The  mats  generally  will  be  indispensable; 

but  for  those  who  have  a  place  to  practise  out 

129 


I30      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

of  doors,  better  than  any  mat  is  the  following 
contrivance:  Dig  a  shallow  place  two  to 
three  inches  deep,  twenty  feet  long  and  three 
feet  wide.  Fill  this  with  sawdust  or  tan  bark 
watered  and  pounded  down — first  sifting  the 
bark  or  sawdust  to  remove  from  it  bits  of  wood 
or  stones. 

Better  still  is  a  regular  circus  ring  made  in 
the  same  way  with  a  parapet  two  feet  high  of 
sods,  or  built  of  boards  covered  with  padded 
canvas.  The  diameter  of  the  whole  should  be 
about  20  feet. 

In  calculating  costs  and  charges  for  a  show 
one  must  consider  lights,  decorations,  cos- 
tumes and  make-up,  rent,  music,  printing  in- 
cluding advertising,  tickets  and  programmes, 
license  if  one  is  needed,  the  expense  of  a  good 
curtain  for  the  stage  and  cost  of  chairs  or 
benches.  In  a  well  managed  show  the  busi- 
ness manager  is  chosen  at  the  beginning  out- 
side of  the  company  and  has  plenty  to  do  to 
keep  things  straight  and  see  that  there  is  no 
loss.  The  cost  of  a  curtain  depends  on  the 
size,  quality,  etc.  It  must  work  easily  with- 
out any  noise  either  slowly  or  quickly  accord- 


COSTS  AND  CHARGES         131 

ing  to  the  need.  The  cost  of  tents  can  be 
learned  from  catalogues  of  tent  makers  who 
seem  to  be  no  longer  in  Persia  but  mostly  in 
Kansas. 

To  Give  a  Show  Without  Any  Money. 
Let  us  imagine  a  case  in  which  an  ambitious 
group  of  amateur  artists  has  talent  and  no  cash. 
This  is  apt  to  occur. 

Perfect  an  organisation  with  a  business 
manager  and  a  Ring  Manager  who  can  get 
his  orders  obeyed.  Then  practise — practise, 
practise  and  practise  some  more.  Work  in  a 
yard  with  a  sawdust  ring  which  you  can 
make  yourselves.  Use  anything  for  a  costume. 
The  indispensable  articles  are  a  good  fitting 
pair  of  black  sneakers  for  each  artist.  Sneak- 
ers can  be  purchased  inside  of  a  dollar  apiece. 
Always  buy  black  as  they  look  well  with  any 
costume.  There  are  plenty  of  ways,  selling 
papers,  blacking  shoes,  etc.,  to  obtain  these. 
If  only  four  of  the  artists  have  time  to  earn 
money,  that  is  enough.  Before  long  there 
will  be  ten  or  twelve  dollars  in  the  treasury  to 
get  the  sneakers  and  the  ring  can  be  built  on 
holidays.     All  the  materials  for  a  good  prac- 


132      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

tical  clown  costume  can  be  purchased  as  de- 
scribed for  seventy-five  cents.  Once  the  com- 
pany is  so  v^ell  drilled  that  everything  goes 
nicely  and  a  snappy  little  show  can  be  given, 
it  is  possible  to  sell  tickets,  and  money  will 
roll  in  to  buy  handsome  costumes,  lights,  mats 
and  a  tent.  This  plan  involves  more  patience, 
brains  and  discipline.  It  will  be  harder  to 
stick  together  but  there  will  be  lots  more  fun 
in  it  than  if  everything  is  made  easy.  Almost 
anywhere  a  group  can  obtain  the  use  of  a  yard 
large  enough,  and  a  competent  older  person 
to  advise  and  criticise.  After  that  by  contin- 
uing to  earn  money,  and  giving  one  or  two 
five  cent  shows,  they  will  be  able  to  do  the 
following : 

1.  iBuy  costumes  for  all  the  company. 

2.  Build  a  stage  with  a  good  curtain. 

3.  Build  an  elephant. 

4.  Train  a  dog. 

5.  Build  a  table  and  two  chairs  for  a  table 
and  chair  act.  By  the  time  this  has  been  done, 
supposing  that  the  Company  has  learned  the 
ten  elements  of  tumbling  and  one  or  two  pan- 
tomimes or  a  minstrel  part  to  end  the  show, 


COSTS  AND  CHARGES         133 

tickets  may  be  sold  at  ten  cents.  Once  the 
Treasury  is  in  good  shape,  a  tent  and  more 
ambitious  decorations  and  lights  are  possible. 

The  main  thing  if  you  have  no  money  and 
wish  to  have  a  circus  of  your  own,  is  to  get 
together  a  company  who  will  work,  save  the 
money  and  stick  together  without  fighting. 
Such  a  company  can  accomplish  almost  any- 
thing it  sets  out  to  do. 

Moreover  everybody  likes  to  help  those 
who  help  themselves. 

It  will  surprise  such  a  company  of  boys  or 
girls  how  many  people  will  help  them  once 
it  is  seen  that  they  are  really  in  earnest  and 
working  hard.  Your  elephant  will  cost  one- 
half  then,  whereas  my  estimates  are  made  from 
New  York  prices.  For  an  instructor  and 
critic  the  company  must  depend  upon  some 
good  friend. 


CHAPTER  XII 

SLEEPING  OUT  OF  DOORS 

Centuries  ago  it  was  found  out  that  sleep- 
ing out  of  doors  in  summer  is  an  excellent  pro- 
ceeding; it  is  now  beginning  to  be  understood 
that  it  is  equally  good  for  a  growing  boy  to 
sleep  out  all  the  year.  I  subjoin  an  account, 
taken  by  permission,  from  St,  Nicholas,  of  a 
Winter  Camp  at  the  Cloyne  House  School, 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  designed  with  the  in- 
tention of  making  an  attractive  place  for  boys, 
and  in  accordance  with  a  practical  method  for 
sleeping  out  all  the  winter. 

I  also  quote  a  few  interesting  remarks  by 
Prof.  Leonard  Hill,  on  the  theory  of  ventila- 
tion, which  best  explains  the  undoubted  ben- 
efits obtained  in  this  Winter  Camp. 

This  Winter  Camp  is  now  in  use  (1916)  for 
the  third  year.  The  boys  immensely  prefer 
it  to  any  dormitory,  and  it  has  been  found  that 
a  boy  who  sleeps  there  never  has  a  cold.     As 

134 


SLEEPING  OUT  OF  DOORS    135 

what  is  commonly  called  a  cold  generally  pre- 
cedes illness  and  provides  the  conditions  un- 
der which  bacteria  may  flourish,  it  follows, 
and  has  been  so  found,  that  a  boy  or  girl  who 
never  has  a  cold,  is  exempt  from  many  forms 
of  illness. 

I  suggested  to  Professor  Hill  that  there  is 
possibly  an  electrical  effect  on  the  sleepers  in 
the  winter  camp,  produced  by  the  currents  of 
moving  air.  He  replied,  ''There  is  no  need 
to  evoke  anything  but  rate  of  cooling  and  its 
stimulating  effect  produced  by  fresh  moving 
air.  Five-sixths  of  the  metabolism  of  the 
human  body,  the  food  eaten  and  digested,  fre- 
quency of  circulation  and  digestion  depend  on 
the  loss  of  body  heat,  that  is,  on  the  rate  of 
cooling  of  the  skin." 

The  two  years'  experience  with  this  camp 
proves  that  its  use,  or  the  use  of  something 
like  it,  will  largely  head  off  epidemic  dis- 
eases from  boarding-school  life.  Before  very 
long  it  will  be  understood  that  a  headmaster, 
in  whose  school  there  are  constantly  cases  of 
colds,  grippe,  catarrh,  whooping  cough,  etc., 
what  are  thought  to  be  the  lighter  ailments,  is 


136      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

exactly  as  incompetent  as  he  would  be  con- 
sidered to-day  if  smallpox,  yellow  fever,  ma- 
larial fever  are  chronic  in  that  school. 

It  so  happened  that,  on  account  of  the  po- 
litical troubles  in  Mexico,  the  Americans  in 
Yucatan  found  it  necessary  in  1914  to  leave 
that  country  and  come  north  to  the  United 
States.  Then  I  had  an  opportunity  to  visit 
the  Cloyne  School.  A  patrol  of  Boy  Scouts, 
established  in  the  school,  had  a  tent  on  the 
grounds.  They  slept  there,  and  many  even- 
ings we  cooked  over  an  open  fire  and  told 
stories  until  time  for  lights  out.  The  boys 
found  it  so  much  fun  to  "sleep  out"  that  they 
asked  me  to  design  and  build  a  winter  camp 
for  them. 

We  spent  ten  weeks  planning  and  building 
the  camp  so  that  it  would  fit  in  with  the  rou- 
tine of  the  school  life.  It  had  to  be  near  the 
dormitory  building  that  no  time  might  be  lost 
out  of  the  few  free  moments  between  study 
hour  and  bedtime.  Fortunately,  we  were 
able  to  take  a  place  in  the  grounds  among 
trees  and  only  a  hundred  feet  from  the  main 
building.     It  was  decided  to  construct  an  old- 


54-     Slumgullion 


55.    Time  to  Get  Up. 


1 

^ 

J' 

r  "si 

56.    THE  WINTER  CAMP 
December,  1914 


O.  ^F.  H. 


57 

Put   a 
l^andkerchief 
on   the   floor 
in    front    of 
each.      All 
together 
stand  on 
their    hands 
with    feet 
against  the 


58 

wall.      Bend- 
ing the  arms 
each  picks 
up   handker- 
cnief   with 
his  teeth,  re- 
turns to 
standing   po- 
sition and 
salutes. 


ADVANCED  WORK 
The  Handkerchief  Pick-Up 


SLEEPING  OUT  OF  DOORS    137 

fashioned  log  fort  of  the  days  of  the  Indian 
Wars.  As  there  was  already  a  large  play-hut 
with  two  fireplaces  next  to  the  site  of  the  fort, 
by  extending  the  stockade  sufficiently  a  cov- 
ered passageway  would  join  the  play-hut  to 
the  fort. 

Around  the  camp  we  built  a  log  stockade 
fifty  feet  long  by  thirty  wide.  This  used  up 
over  two  hundred  logs  ten  or  more  feet  long, 
the  bark  being  left  on  the  logs,  pointed  at  the 
top  and  set  two  feet  in  the  ground.  The 
stockade  was  well  braced  on  the  inside  and 
solidly  fastened  by  logs  spiked  on  lengthwise. 
Trees  are  scarce  in  Rhode  Island — it  is  said 
they  were  nearly  all  cut  off  for  firewood  dur- 
ing the  occupation  by  the  French  soldiers 
years  ago — so  it  was  not  easy  to  get  logs  of 
good  size,  and  the  white  birch  that  was  used 
had  to  be  brought  from  the  North. 

At  the  southwest  corner  a  blockhouse  was 
built  on  top  of  the  stockade  to  hold  the  brass 
saluting  cannon  belonging  to  the  Scouts, — Pa- 
trol Number  5,  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  is 
their  official  name.  Just  behind  the  block- 
house is  planted  the  flagstaff.     A  large  gate  in 


138      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

the  centre  of  the  south  wall  opens  on  the  path 
to  the  door  of  the  school.  Between  this  gate 
and  the  platform  of  the  tent  is  placed  a  "Cho- 
corua  stove"  and  a  stone  fireplace.  The  gate 
is  secured  at  night  by  a  heavy  birch  bar  laid 
in  wooden  forks. 

To  build  a  platform  for  the  tent,  we 
dragged  inside  the  stockade  huge  logs  thirty 
feet  in  length.  These  were  blocked  up  three 
feet  above  the  ground  and  then  a  cave — with 
a  very  secret  entrance — was  dug  underneath 
the  logs.  Across  the  logs  was  nailed  a  plat- 
form, 20  X  30  feet,  and  all  around  it  on  three 
sides  wooden  bunks  were  built.  The  bunks 
had  a  wide  board  at  the  back,  so  that  the 
wind  could  not  strike  the  sleeper,  and  little 
cross-boards  to  separate  the  bunks  from  each 
other.  But  first  we  built  a  trussed  frame  of 
birch  poles  to  carry  the  tent.  Two  poles 
twenty-five  feet  long,  of  heavy  zYi  inch  birch, 
were  planted  in  the  bottom  of  the  cave.  They 
came  17  feet  above  the  floor,  and  were  strongly 
braced  to  the  logs  and  flooring.  The  ends  of 
the  ridge-pole  were  nailed  on  top  of  these, 
then  the  tent  and  fly  were  put  in  place.    Both 


SLEEPING  OUT  OF  DOORS    139 

tent  and  fly  had  half-inch  iron  rings  worked 
into  them  opposite  each  end  of  the  ridge-pole, 
and  through  these  a  six-inch  iron  bolt  was 
driven  down  through  each  end  of  the  ridge- 
pole into  the  posts.  Each  one  of  these  bolts 
ended  at  the  top  in  an  iron  ring. 

From  each  iron  ring,  and  outside  of  the  fly, 
we  carried  two  wire-rope  guys  to  heavy  logs 
on  opposite  sides  of  the  stockade.  Inside  we 
lashed  and  spiked  between  them  two  birch 
cross-braces  four  feet  apart  and  one  diagonal 
brace  from  one  upright  pole  to  the  other. 
The  result  of  this  plan  was  a  strong  flexible 
wooden  truss  to  hold  the  heavy  tent  and  fly, 
giving  a  little  to  the  wind  when  it  blew  hard. 

Instead  of  the  usual  long  guy-ropes,  which 
pull  and  tear  a  tent  when  wet,  birch  racks 
were  planted  on  each  side  of  the  tent,  two  feet 
from  it  and  strongly  braced  into  the  ground. 
The  short,  two-foot  guy-ropes  were  lashed  to 
the  racks  when  wet,  with  the  result  that,  when 
dry,  they  slacked  off  a  little,  but  not  enough 
to  be  troublesome. 

A  tent  so  mounted  requires  no  adjustment. 
This  one  stood  the  heavy  gales  and  snow  all 


I40      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

winter.  It  will  need  no  further  attention, 
and  will  stand  any  blow  until  the  canvas  rots. 
The  sides  can  be  looped  up,  or  buttoned  down 
to  spikes  driven  into  the  platform  logs.  There 
is  a  door  at  each  end  of  the  tent,  and  the  wind- 
ward one  is  buttoned  while  the  other  is  left 
open. 

Electric  lights  were  put  in  the  hut,  the 
blockhouse,  and  the  tent,  so  arranged  that  all 
could  be  put  out  by  one  switch,  except  that 
in  the  tent.  At  night  the  flag  was  hauled 
down  and  the  gate  barred;  then,  when  all 
hands  were  in  their  bunks,  the  last  man  had  to 
turn  out  the  light  and  the  stories  began. 

It  was  fine,  snugly  tucked  into  a  sleeping- 
bag,  to  hear  the  rain  drum  on  the  tent-fly — 
the  wind  blowing  in  the  trees.  Surrounded 
and  protected  by  the  heavy  stockade  and  gate 
one  felt  so  safe  while  the  "Adventure  of  the 
Red  Inn"  was  unfolded,  or  the  ghostly  step 
in  the  story  came  slowly  across  the  floor,  one 
— two — three.  And  the  scared  ones  could 
easily  crawl  down  into  their  sleeping-bags  and 
cover  their  heads. 

As  the  stockade  ran  up  high  enough  and  was 


SLEEPING  OUT  OF  DOORS    141 

strongly  braced,  even  a  full  gale  did  not  dis- 
turb the  sleeping-tent  or  the  canvas  on  the 
racks. 

The  length  of  this  tent-fly  was  forty  feet — 
ten  feet  longer  than  the  tent  itself.  This  ex- 
tra length  of  the  fly  formed  a  comfortable 
shelter,  as  the  fire  was  built  just  at  the  edge, 
and  benches  were  placed  on  each  side.  There 
one  could  cook  in  rainy  weather  with  no  in- 
convenience. 

If  there  were  time  he  could  broil  a  chicken, 
or  bake  potatoes,  or  make  clam  soup  while  the 
Scout  Boys  were  in  the  evening  study  hour. 
As  soon  as  that  was  over,  they  rushed  to  their 
alcoves  and  put  on  pajamas,  boots,  a  bathrobe 
and  cap.  Then  there  would  be  a  few  min- 
utes for  "follow  my  leader,"  or  supper,  or  a 
general  scrimmage  before  "lights  out"  and 
stories.  In  the  morning,  if  the  master  who 
was  in  charge  at  the  time  "had  a  heart,"  he 
would  get  up  early  and  cook  the  stimulating 
"slumgullion." 

It  took  only  a  couple  of  minutes  to  arrange 
a  sleeping-bag  and  ten  minutes  was  time 
enough  in  which  to  drink  the  hot  slumgullion 


142      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

prepared  according  to  an  ancient  formula  and 
with  the  skill  which  makes  it  so  delicious.  A 
blazing  fire  was  fine  in  zero  weather  at  half 
past  six  in  the  morning,  and  then  came  the 
wild  rush  to  be  in  the  dormitory  at  just  seven 
o'clock;  neither  one  minute  before  nor  after. 

The  playhouse  was  found  convenient  on 
cold  nights  when  it  was  too  early  to  turn  in, 
if  there  happened  to  be  no  study-hour,  or 
when  the  school  gave  a  dance.  The  stockade, 
tent,  blockhouse,  and  hut  made  a  charming 
effect  illuminated  by  Japanese  lanterns  and 
the  open  fire. 

Thus,  while  living  a  boarding-school  life 
with  all  its  necessary  and  tiresome  details, 
there  came  some  of  the  magic  of  camping  out 
for  the  faithful  four  who  had  worked  to  build 
the  camp.  Gaul  was  none  the  less  divided 
into  three  parts,  X  plus  Y  still  exactly  equalled 
just  what  it  always  did,  but  I  think  it  was 
easier  for  the  boys  of  the  winter  camp  to  learn 
these  necessary  facts  because  of  their  nightly 
contact  with  the  great  world  of  out  of  doors, 
their  hours  in  the  camp,  and  that  fine  sleep 
which  you  cannot  get  in  a  house.    When  the 


SLEEPING  OUT  OF  DOORS     143 

thermometer  is  away  down,  when  a  gale  is 
lashing  the  trees,  and  the  air  is  full  of  flying 
snow,  you  are  so  very  comfortable  in  a  good 
sleeping-bag,  and  the  voice  of  the  story-teller 
fades  away  into  the  song  of  the  gale,  and 
sleep,  and  happy  dreams. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR 

It  appears  best  not  to  give  too  many  exact  or 
confining  rules  for  this  system  of  physical  de- 
velopment. The  importance  of  an  intelligent 
instructor  cannot  be  exaggerated  and  the 
printed  v^ord  does  not  fully  take  the  place. 
In  capable  hands  this  method  of  physical  de- 
velopment v^ill  be  found  to  remedy  most  of 
the  defects  of  the  methods  now  in  use  and  cap- 
able hands  should  be  left  free. 

If  a  boy  or  girl  is  clumsy,  slouches  along 
with  the  shoulders  bent  in,  it  is  because  the 
trunk  muscles  are  not  developed,  or  the  nerves 
do  not  control  them  properly.  Since  the  hu- 
man body  is  more  or  less  plastic  all  this  may 
be  corrected.  A  fakir  by  constantly  holding 
an  arm  upright  finally  fixes  it  there  perma- 
nently. In  the  shapable  12-16  period,  by 
these  easy  graceful  tumbling  motions  muscles 

may  be  developed  and  balance  obtained  with 

144 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       145 

a  free  upright  carriage  of  the  whole  body. 

Such  a  boy  or  girl  becomes  practically  im- 
mune to  the  ordinary  accidents  of  life.  No 
trained  tumbler  ever  breaks  a  leg  by  slipping 
on  a  side-walk  or  rolling  in  a  coasting  spill; 
for  automatically  the  body  takes  care  of  itself 
in  minor  difficulties. 

I  repeat  the  words  which  begin  Chapter  II. 
Every  one  desires  to  be  well,  strong  and  grace- 
ful. 

How  much  any  one  will  sacrifice  to  obtain 
that  desire  is  another  matter.  Very  few  can 
attain  their  wish  fully  without  the  assistance 
of  a  competent  instructor.  Granting  that 
there  is  time  and  opportunity  what  shall  the 
instructor  do? 

Treating  boys  and  girls  between  the  ages 
of  12  and  16  he  finds  by  experience  that  calis- 
thenics and  drill  do  not  go  very  far,  and  that 
time  and  opportunity  are  terribly  lacking  for 
the  use  of  games — and  by  "opportunity"  I 
mean  to  include  the  expensive  plant  necessary. 

Games  require  space  indoors  and  outdoors 
and  much  time  to  accomplish  a  satisfying  all- 
round    development.     So    the    conscientious 


146      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

teacher  does  the  best  he  or  she  can  and  often 
wonders,  I  fancy,  how  much  or  how  little  is 
accomplished. 

I  think  the  plan  advocated  in  this  book  will 
recommend  itself  to  many  because  the  plant 
required  is  a  mat;  or  better  two  mats,  eight 
feet  by  three,  a  little  simple  stuff,  say  in  all 
$20  worth,  and  any  place  at  all  to  work  in. 
The  proper  rig  for  a  small  boy  practising 
football  costs  as  much  as  that.  Once  broken 
in,  two  classes  of  eight  each  can  be  worked 
together  for  an  hour  a  day,  and  that  is  enough 
five  times  a  week  to  secure  a  very  good  all 
round  development. 

Best  of  all  the  stimulus  is  there,  provided 
by  the  glamour  of  the  circus  and  the  stage. 
Given  an  occasional  show — the  pupil  will 
practise  steadily,  without  urging,  under  com- 
petent guidance  Can  more  be  said  for  any 
game?  It  is  rare  indeed  that  so  much  can  be 
said  for  the  mechanical  exercises.  I  have 
never  seen  it. 

This  method  is  not  intended  for  profes- 
sional acrobats  nor  for  the  glory  of  the  same. 

It  is  an  attempt  to  build  up  a  method  simi- 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       147 

lar  to  that  which  they  use  so  successfully  in 
dominating  the  human  body.  It  permits  a 
successful  all  round  development  between  12- 
16  prior  to  competitive  athletics  without  the 
tedium  of  calisthenics  and  with  a  great  econ- 
omy of  time  spent.  The  instructor  will  find 
that  he  can  accomplish  more  in  an  hour  of  this 
practise  than  he  can  in  two  hours  of  basket 
ball  or  other  games. 

As  I  have  already  explained,  to  use  danger- 
ous tricks  for  non-professional  youths  who 
cannot  give  a  professional's  time  and  patience 
to  them,  is  absurd ;  and  I  eliminate  absolutely 
all  air-turns  for  boys  and  girls  between  12 
and  16.  Consequently  I  think  it  is  better  if 
the  instructor  is  unable  to  do  air-turns. 

There  is  no  chance  then  of  setting  the  stu- 
dent's ambition  on  something  you  do  not  want 
him  to  try.  Moreover,  a  man  cannot  see  his 
own  form  in  tumbling.  He  does  not  really 
know  how  he  appears.  What  is  desired  of  an 
instructor  is  ability  to  hold  the  student  when 
he  first  begins  so  that  he  will  not  be  bruised, 
keep  discipline  so  that  he  will  not  go  on  un- 
til he  has  mastered  the  first  elements,  and  to 


148      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

enforce  constant  drill  and  criticism  of  form 
until  the  class  possesses  that  easy  graceful  mo- 
tion which  denotes  perfect  muscle  control.  He 
must  understand  the  theory  of  this  method  so 
that  he  will  aim  for  and  obtain  the  desired  ex- 
ercise of  the  digestive  tract,  and,  in  a  word, 
develop  the  class  and  not  himself. 

I  have  certainly  never  been  able  to  qualify 
as  an  acrobat  and  I  have  planned  this 
method  in  such  a  way  that  it  can  be  taught  by 
any  intelligent  man  or  woman  of  ordinary 
strength.  Keeping  always  in  mind  the  splen- 
did boys  and  girls  who  have  not  access  to  elab- 
orate equipments  and  specialist  teachers  in 
athletics,  I  would  feel  that  it  is  no  method  at 
all  if  its  perfect  result  cannot  be  obtained  in 
any  schoolroom  where  there  is  space  for  a  fif- 
teen-foot mat  and  a  progressive  teacher  of  or- 
dinary good  health. 

When  your  boy  or  girl  has  learned  these 
ten  elements  of  simple  tumbling  and  practises 
them  steadily  five  times  a  week,  one  hour  a 
day  during  term  time,  at  sixteen  that  boy  or 
girl  will  possess  a  well  developed  body,  un- 
der almost  perfect  nerve  control  and  a  splen- 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       149 

did  digestion,  given  that  he  or  she  starts  with 
a  fair  equipment.  No  more  can  be  done  by 
the  best  athletic  instructor  with  the  most  ex- 
pensive equipment. 

By  the  discreet  use  of  the  glamour  of  the 
circus,  tights,  shows,  etc.,  the  pupil's  inter- 
est may  be  maintained  at  white  heat;  and 
there  is  no  need  to  be  athlete  or  acrobat  to  do 
this. 

Great  private  schools  and  academies  have 
to  invest  many  thousands  of  dollars  to  obtain 
a  fine  physical  development.  The  reason — ^ 
the  main  reason  for  doing  so,  for  I  leave  out 
of  consideration  the  desire  to  attract  pupils 
by  means  of  athletic  success  in  extra-mural 
competition,  is  that  the  pupil's  time  is  limited 
and  his  interest  must  be  aroused.  Every  ex- 
perienced teacher  knows  that  you  can  go  only 
a  short  distance  with  calisthenics,  that  it  is 
vitally  necessary  to  interest  the  pupil;  and, 
using  games  to  do  so,  it  is  necessary  to  take 
the  games  in  their  seasonal  order.  As  the 
time  is  limited  the  whole  number  must  be 
cared  for  in  say  three  hours;  therefore  a  large 
and    expensive    athletic    plant    is     needed. 


150      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Hence  for  the  vast  majority  of  our  boys  and 
girls  good  football,  ice-hockey,  tennis,  row- 
ing, boxing,  wrestling  and  basketball  are  im- 
possible. What  they  get  is  too  insufficient  in 
quantity  or  quality  to  accomplish  the  best  all- 
round  development. 

Such  development  can  be  obtained  by  the 
games  if  there  is  time  and  an  expensive  equip- 
ment, but  the  majority  lack  either  one  or  the 
other. 

This  is  the  reason  why  the  universal  mili- 
tary systems  do  improve  National  physique. 
During  army  service,  developing  exercise,  not 
the  best  kind  but  still  developing,  is  possible 
for  all  the  men  but  no  Nation  does  this  ade- 
quately for  the  1 2-1 6  boy  or  girl.  In  a  large 
number  of  the  Public  Schools  calisthenics 
are  pushed  about  as  far  as  they  can  be,  and 
excellent  results  are  obtained.  But  contrast 
these  with  the  achievement  at  say  Groton,  or 
any  school  which  possesses  an  expensive  plant, 
and  it  will  be  seen  at  once  how  inferior  they 
are. 

I  submit  then  this  plan  to  give  the  best  de- 
velopment of  all  the  body  under  the  limita- 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       151 

tions  of  time  and  equipment  accessible  to  the 
vast  majority  of  boys  and  girls,  so  that  any 
one  can  take  this  book  and  proceed  to  instruct 
a  class.  I  say  any  one,  but  I  am  not  plan- 
ning for  acrobats  or  even  very  good  athletes 
as  teachers.  They  have  their  field  now  and 
a  most  valuable  one  it  is.  I  do  not  wish  to 
have  a  teacher  who  can  do  the  difficult  tricks 
and  always  risky  (for  a  boy)  air- turns  for  I 
wish  the  boy  to  regard  these  simple  elements 
as  sufficient,  as  indeed  they  are  for  him  at 
his  stage.  In  all  practise  I  keep  steadily  in 
mind  the  even  exercise  of  the  whole  body,  the 
growth  of  nerve  control  and  above  all  the  ex- 
ercise of  the  digestive  tract.  A  quick  roll 
ending  in  a  No.  2  salute  does  this  I  think  al- 
most as  effectually  as  a  back  flip.  (Illustra- 
tion 2.)  Both  are  superior  to  any  move- 
ment I  know  of  in  any  game  or  any  form  of 
calisthenics.  Slow  rolls  with  a  salute,  quick 
rolls,  the  class  chasing  down  the  mat,  in  2- 
High  Falls,  etc.,  there  are  innumerable  ways 
of  working  in  this  motion.  When  back 
and  front  handsprings  can  be  added,  you  at- 
tain constant  and  perfect  exercise  of  the  diges- 


152      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

tive  tract,  and  circulatory  system  while  stead- 
ily developing  muscular  power  and  nerve  con- 
trol. The  other  combinations  of  elements 
give  variety  and  the  line  method,  placing  the 
class  in  line  and  working  in  turn,  prevents  all 
chance  of  strain. 

Every  now  and  then  some  student  brings  out 
striking  facts  in  regard  to  the  effect  of  exer- 
cise on  the  organs  during  the  growing  period. 
Quite  clear  and  interesting  editorials  are  writ- 
ten by  people  who,  knowing  little  about  the 
matter  but  stirred  by  some  sorrowful  col- 
lapse in  competitive  athletics  of  a  promising 
youth,  lump  it  all  together  and  charge  it  up 
to  the  Athletic  Director. 

What  is  the  Director  of  Athletics  to  do? 
Here  are  some  of  the  things  he  knows  to  be 
facts. 

I.  Desultory  play  has  small  effect  on  the 
physical  development  of  boys,  for  a  number 
of  reasons  of  which  I  will  cite  one  only.  The 
many  demands  school  life  or  a  working  life 
make  on  a  boy  leave  him  not  over  three  hours 
a  day  and  in  that  amount  of  time,  left  to  him- 
self, he  accomplishes  little. 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       153 

2.  You  cannot  employ  mechanical  exercises 
such  as  calisthenics  or  drill  to  produce  the  re- 
sult you  are  after.  They  will  help — that  is 
all. 

3.  There  is  nothing  left  but  competitive 
athletics  at  his  disposal. 

4.  On  the  spiritual  side  of  the  boy,  only  by 
competitive  athletics  can  he  develop  courage, 
loyalty  and  manliness,  and  combat  weakening 
feminine  influences. 

I  believe  pretty  much  all  men  whose  object 
is  to  attain  the  desirable  results  described  by 
writers  on  the  physical  development  of  the 
boy  would  agree  on  these  four  points. 

5.  The  danger  of  injury  from  competitive 
athletics  is  greatest  between  12-16.  Strains 
received  then  are  the  beginning  of  injuries  to 
some  organ  which  may  or  may  not  develop 
disastrously  later  on.  This  point  is  not  yet 
generally  recognised. 

The  Directors  and  the  schools  cannor  hexp 
themselves — they  have  no  other  way,  and  it 
is  clear  the  benefits  of  competitive  athletics 
exceed  the  drawbacks  and  will  be  sought  un- 
til a  better  way  is  found.     Observe  that  in  our 


154      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

Government  schools  where  mechanical  exer- 
cises, drill,  calisthenics  can  be  pushed  farther 
than  anywhere  else,  competitive  athletics  are 
used  because  they  give  a  result  which  cannot 
otherwise  be  obtained. 

Now  this  is  a  singular  thing.  Men  write 
at  length  about  bees,  minute  points  of  law, 
the  collection  of  half  truths  and  misunder- 
standings called  history,  but  of  this  acrobatic 
art,  so  difficult,  since  Tuccaro,  I  find  only 
an  incoherent  foolish  book  by  Hughes  Le 
Roux  and  Gamier,  and  an  excellent  manual 
of  feats  by  Professor  Gwathmey.  Yet  its  pro- 
ficients travel  all  over  the  world  and  what 
they  do  is  interesting  to  millions. 

Perhaps  because  they  are  absorbed  in  do- 
ing not  talking  about  it  and  also  perhaps  be- 
cause it  is  difficult  to  understand,  and  more 
difficult  to  give  the  patience  and  self-denial 
needed. 

TUCCARO 
Archange  Tuccaro  (Archangelo  Tusquaro) 
was  born  about  1535  at  Aquilai  in  Italy.     He 
was  therefore  near  35  when  he  performed  be- 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       155 

fore  the  Court  during  the  wedding  festivities 
of  Charles  IX  of  France  and  a  Princess 
of  Austria,  the  high  moment  of  Tuccaro's 
life.  Charles  highly  approved  and  made  him 
the  King's  Acrobat,  taking  him  to  Paris. 
This  was  a  great  and  much  apg.reciated  hon- 
our. Whether  the  King  did  the  right  thing 
financially,  history  does  not  state;  but  we  may 
infer  this  as  Messire  Archange  appears  to 
have  gotten  on  very  well  through  all  the 
troublous  times  that  followed,  publishing  his 
book  of  Three  Discourses  in  1599. 

He  also  published  a  book  of  poems  in  1602 
and  died  not  many  years  after,  somewhere  be- 
tween 65  and  70  years  old. 

He  proudly  states  that  he  was  the  King's 
instructor  in  the  noble  art  of  tumbling,  but 
discreetly  refrains  from  stating  just  what  he 
did  teach  him.  We  may  believe  that  it  was 
not  much,  for  all  of  Tuccaro's  work  is  diffi- 
cult and  it  is  hardly  credible  that  the  King 
exercised  the  patience  and  self-denial  needed 
for  hard  stunts. 

Tuccaro  takes  high  ground  as  to  the  nobil- 
ity and  value  of  his  art.     For  four  things  are 


156      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

needed  by  those  who  do  difficult  feats:  cour- 
age, self-denial,  patience,  and  complete  con- 
trol of  this  our  earthly  and  heavy  garment. 

It  is  a  singular  popular  delusion  that  acro- 
bats die  young  on  account  of  the  physical  de- 
mands upon  them,  overworked  hearts,  etc. 
Tuccaro  is  a  case  in  point,  exercising  his  skill 
up  to  sixty  odd  years.  It  is  true  that  some  die 
from  accidents  because  of  lack  of  care  or  more 
likely  because  of  ambition,  the  desire  to  do 
something  new.  The  perfect  health  of  acro- 
bats of  itself  would  prove  this  popular  con- 
ception untrue  and  the  reason  for  the  error 
is  that  audiences,  not  liking  to  see  an  elderly 
man  or  woman  doing  difficult  acrobatic  feats, 
seldom  do  see  them.  On  the  dramatic  stage 
as  time  slides  by,  people  take  to  older  parts, 
but  in  acrobatic  work  there  is  no  room  for 
such.  It  is  for  those  who  have  divine  youth 
to  do  these  impossible  feats  with  a  graceful 
smile.  You  do  not  wish  to  see  Grandpa  in  a 
death-defying  act;  but  his  grandson  full  of  the 
joy  of  life — that  is  another  matter.  Hence 
when  make-up  is  no  longer  possible,  there  is 
nothing  to  do  but  retire  and  teach. 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       157 

PRACTICAL  POINTS 

There  are  two  imperative  reasons  why  it  is 
necessary  to  train  a  class  to  do  interesting  and 
"classy"  acts,  besides  the  need  for  an  impel- 
ling force  that  will  make  them  work. 

First  as  in  all  education  that  there  may  arise 
always  before  the  pupil  feats  a  little  harder  to 
do — a  little  more  difficult  to  learn. 

Second,  that  older  boys  may  respect  what 
he  does  and  not  bring  to  bear  the  destructive 
force  of  a  contemptuous  public  opinion  to  de- 
ter him  from  work. 

In  considering  the  use  of  the  show  as  a 
stimulus  for  the  pupil  one  finds  that  there  are 
as  many  different  kinds  of  shows  as  there  are 
places  in  which  to  give  them.  In  practise, 
the  thing  to  do  first  is  to  get  on  paper  what  can 
be  done,  the  number  of  acts,  time  each  one  re- 
quires, the  people. 

Next  see  if  the  place  is  suitable.  If  you 
have  to  work  on  a  stage  and  the  curtain  arch 
is  not  very  high  you  could  not  do  the  "Path 
to  the  Stars,"  for  the  reason  that  the  stars  from 
the  balloon  would  not  be  seen  by  the  audience 
and  the  point  of  the  picture  would  be  lost. 


158      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

As  we  have  seen  the  main  object  in  giving 
a  show  is  to  assist  in  maintaining  the  interest 
of  the  class  during  the  long  practise  which 
good  physical  development  requires. 

In  competitive  athletics  the  same  end 
is  reached  by  intra-mural  and  extra-mural 
games. 

People  who  think  that  the  disadvantages  of 
games  between  schools  outweigh  the  advan- 
tages, resort  to  elaborate  systems  of  games  be- 
tween clubs  formed  in  the  school.  Now  I 
write  from  the  standpoint  of  the  man  or  wo- 
man who  has  to  get  the  work  done.  They  are 
confronted  with  a  condition  not  a  theory,  so 
much  work,  so  many  hours  of  practise  each 
term  in  order  to  bring  about  the  desired  phy- 
sical development.  Much  is  written  about 
athletics  by  people  who  do  not  seem  to  know 
a  great  deal  about  them.  Those  who  do  the 
actual  work  are  mostly  silent.  The  teacher 
who  has  to  produce  a  result  knows  that  talk 
to  students  about  improving  the  body,  main- 
taining health,  duty  and  obedience  are  useful 
influences,  but  since  human  nature  is  what  it 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR       159 

is,  not  sufBcient.  Therefore  the  need  for 
competitive  games  and  the  inadequacy  of  cal- 
isthenics. The  difficulty  of  games  is  the 
small  number  who  can  get  on  to  the  teams. 
It  is  necessary  to  provide  an  enormous  plant 
to  adequately  take  care  of  400  boys  by  games. 
To  realise  the  benefit  you  are  after  each  boy 
must  actually  play,  it  is  not  enough  for  him  to 
sit  on  the  sidelines  and  yell.  Naturally  the 
biggest  or  best  boys  of  the  group  do  the  actual 
playing.  Whereas  in  this  tumbling  plan  you 
will  find  you  can  utilise  all  sizes,  interest  all 
sizes  and  drill  steadily  all  sizes.  There  is  not 
the  necessity  of  sacrificing  the  practise  of  the 
smaller  boys  to  the  needs  of  the  others,  and 
lack  of  equipment  is  no  difficulty  at  all.  In 
one  gym  it  is  possible  for  five  instructors  to 
drill  adequately  400  boys  at  simple  tumbling 
in  four  hours'  time  and  maintain  the  interest 
of  80  per  cent,  of  them  for  all  the  time. 

No  game  can  do  that  in  such  a  short  time. 
Only  however  up  to  sixteen.  I  do  not  believe 
it  is  desirable  to  carry  the  boy  or  girl  after 
that  age  on  this  plan.     I  think  they  are  better 


i6o      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

employed  at  competitive  athletics  especially 
if  they  have  had  two  or  three  years  of  tum- 
bling practise  first. 

As  will  have  been  seen,  it  is  proposed  to 
utilise  the  deep  interest  of  boys  and  girls  in 
AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE  for  a  driving 
force  by  which  to  obtain  steady  developing 
practise.  I  do  not  however  burden  this  book 
with  a  greater  mass  of  detail  because  practi- 
cally all  instructors  have  more  or  less  knowl- 
edge of  how  to  conduct  amateur  entertain- 
ments, and  it  is  nearly  always  possible  for  a 
group  of  boys  or  girls  to  get  such  counsel. 
Once  the  ten  elements  of  simple  tumbling  are 
mastered  innumerable  combinations  are  pos- 
sible, so  it  is  easy  to  devise  class  acts  and 
brother  acts  such  as  those  described  in  Chap- 
ters III,  IV,  V  and  VIII  and  other  interest- 
ing little  acts  can  be  found  according  to  the 
taste  of  the  instructor  and  the  latent  talent  in 
the  group.  While  it  is  hoped  that  a  group 
of  boys  and  girls  can  by  the  aid  of  this  book 
attain  valuable  physical  training  without  help, 
it  is  needless  to  remark  that  in  this  or  any 
system  the  directing  energy  and  wise  criti- 


FOR  THE  INSTRUCTOR        i6i 

cism  of  an  instructor  are  invaluable.  I  have 
found  in  conducting  classes  that  the  pupils 
invariably  make  helpful  suggestions  and 
clever  plans  which  almost  invariably  require 
changes  to  make  them  fit  in. 

To  the  instructions  given  in  Chapter  III,  I 
have  to  add  but  a  word  of  caution.  One  con- 
stantly finds  boys  who  are  taught  to  do  a  roll 
by  clasping  hands  around  the  lower  legs  when 
balled  up  as  in  illustration  2.  This  makes 
it  easier  to  learn  the  roll  but  is  a  bad  method. 
Such  a  boy  is  always  liable  when  diving  to 
become  rattled  and  put  his  hands  to  his  legs 
instead  of  in  front  of  his  head,  thus  diving 
squarely  on  to  his  head.  If  on  the  contrary 
he  learns  from  the  beginning  to  keep  his 
hands  in  front  he  will  before  he  dives  much 
have  learned  automatically  to  take  care  of  his 
head  and  neck  by  sustaining  all  the  weight  on 
his  hands  and  arms. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

FOR  PARENTS 

There  are  boys  so  well  endowed  by  their 
parents  that  they  flourish  under  any  system; 
there  are  boys  so  damaged  by  inheritance,  or 
the  control  of  women,  that  no  system  can  do 
much  with  them.  There  are  teachers  tied  to 
systems,  or  whose  faces  are  not  turned  to  the 
dawn. 

With  none  of  these  people  have  we  anything 
to  do.  It  is  the  progressive,  intelligent 
teacher  and  the  shapeable  boy  and  girl  of 
twelve-sixteen  for  whom  better  methods  may 
be  suggested  than  those  in  use  to-day.  And 
better  methods  are  needed  from  the  point  of 
view  of  all  involved ;  pupil,  teacher,  and  par- 
ent. 

Irrespective  of  all  fine  plans  parents  may 
make,  as  far  as  it  concerns  the  twelve-sixteen  ^ 

^  I  should  like  to  emphasise  that  the  term  twelve-sixteen  is 
used  for  convenience.  All  people  in  touch  with  boys  and  girls 
observe  that  the  period  I  write  about  begins  and  ends,  at  times, 
earlier  or  later. 

i6z 


FOR  PARENTS  163 

boy  or  girl,  physical  education  consists  of  what 
is  actually  done  during  the  short  time  at  the 
disposal  of  the  athletic  instructor.  Remember 
that  these  boys  and  girls  have  to  be  taken  in 
classes,  that  the  greater  part  of  their  work 
must  be  made  interesting  to  them.  Remem- 
ber, too,  that  the  instructor  himself  is  limited 
by  conditions  imposed  upon  him ;  for  the  pro- 
fession of  athletic  instructor  has  so  recently 
emerged  into  respectability  that  it  hardly  ranks 
yet  with  that  of  other  educators.  In  a  school 
of  four  hundred  boys,  splendidly  equipped, 
out  of  a  faculty  of  forty-five  mainly  given  to 
the  work  of  getting  the  boy  into  college,  there 
is  but  one  physical  instructor  helped  by  four- 
teen semi-voluntary  assistants;  this  is  an  ab- 
surd condition,  but  one  probably  not  change- 
able for  years  to  come. 

Watch  the  work  with  such  boys  in  a  good 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  gymnasium,  a  public  school,  or  a 
boys'  club  gym,  and  note  how  much  time  is 
wasted,  necessarily  wasted,  in  unorganised 
play. 

Those  who  wish  to  change  our  nation  from 
its    comfortable    helplessness    to    a    sensible 


i64      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

strength  see  the  need  of  better  and  more  uni- 
versal physical  training. 

The  worst  gap — the  weakest  point  in  present 
methods,  practically  speaking,  is  between 
twelve  and  sixteen.  This  method  proposes  to 
fill  that  gap. 

After  the  "tumult  and  shouting"  dies  away, 
and  the  need  for  preparation  has  been  estab- 
lished in  this  country — what  is  to  be  done!  It 
will  be  seen  then  that  very  little  training  for 
war  is  practical  before  sixteen.  What  is 
needed  between  twelve  and  sixteen  is  an  all- 
around  physical  development,  and  that  brings 
one  face  to  face  with  present  methods  in 
schools  and  gymnasiums. 

At  Camp  Chocorua,  in  the  days  when  the 
summer  camp  was  still  considered  an  amuse- 
ment enterprise  and  not  an  experiment  in  edu- 
cation, it  was  my  privilege  to  think  much 
about  new  ideas  in  education:  How  may  the 
education  of  boys  and  girls  be  lifted  up  to 
better  ways? 

In  the  end,  all  discussions  come  back  to 
what  appears  to  be  the  truth.  Only  by 
laborious  study  of  the  child  may  new  ways 


FOR  PARENTS  165 

be  found.  If  you  wish  to  progress  you  must 
understand  body  and  soul.  The  wise  Japa- 
nese know  this.  It  is  not  possible  to  reach  the 
best  physical  development  unless  the  soul  is 
enlisted.  Wherefore,  the  method  proposed  in 
this  book  for  the  twelve-sixteen  boy  or  girl. 

The  teachers  of  scholarship,  the  teachers  of 
religion  are  apt  to  speak  of  the  boy  as  if  he 
were  a  being  detached  from  his  body. 

They  do  not  seem  to  realise  that  man  begins 
as  an  animal,  and  passes  through  many 
changes  before  he  reaches  the  developed  rea- 
soning, controlled,  religious  human.  The 
boy  lives  always  with  his  body,  he  cannot  get 
rid  of  it;  he  is  hampered,  swayed,  and  at  times 
governed  by  it.  It  seems  clear  that  the  first 
step  in  attempting  to  obtain  a  better  type  of 
boy  ought  to  be  to  improve  that  body,  and 
could  you  achieve  fairly  perfect  bodies,  half 
of  the  difficulties  with  the  sex  force,  with  their 
scholarship  and  their  religion,  would  disap- 
pear. 

In  all  work  with  boys  it  is  to  be  remembered 
that  the  twelve-  to  sixteen-year  boy  is  a  curious, 
streaky  compound  of  ignorance,  knowledge, 


i66      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

courage,  cowardice,  sacrifice  and  selfishness, 
desire  and  indifference,  conditioned  first,  last 
and  always  by  the  state  of  his  body. 

That  mentally,  morally  and  physically  he  is 
constantly  changing,  always  in  a  state  of  un- 
rest. 

Failure  to  remember  this  brings  defeat. 
Moreover,  in  groups  of  boys  there  arc  always 
those  with  whom  you  can  accomplish  next  to 
nothing  and  those  who  possess  a  divine  im- 
pulse which  if  I  dared  I  would  call  a  super 
digestion  system. 

No  matter  how  stupid  and  ignorant  the 
teaching,  the  latter  will  derive  good  from  it  or 
seem  to. 

In  what  I  am  about  to  say  I  set  aside  these 
two  classes.  We  will  treat  of  the  boy  who  can 
be  largely  made  or  spoiled  by  good  or  bad 
methods. 

The  schools  take  each  year  a  mass  of  more 
or  less  promising  material  and  at  the  ap- 
pointed time  turn  out  a  result  they  have  a  right 
to  feel  is  creditable.  May  we  not,  however, 
analyse  their  work,  searching  for  a  better 
method  on  the  physical  side? 


FOR  PARENTS  167 

An  iron  age  has  come  again.  Whether 
Germany  loses  or  wins,  this  soft,  luxury-loving 
people  of  our  republic  need  to  gird  on  the 
sword  and  defend  what  we  believe  in.  Is  it 
not  time  to  find  better  ways  of  preparing  the 
body  and  soul  of  these  future  men  and  women 
than  those  to-day  in  use?  A  way  that  will 
reach  its  end  without  the  waste  of  time  and 
risk  of  strain  of  the  present  athletic  competi- 
tive system.  But  I  confine  myself  to  the 
golden  opportunity  for  work,  the  second 
period  of  life,  between  twelve  and  sixteen. 
You  may  at  this  period  definitely  prescribe 
methods  of  living  which  will  bring  youth  to 
a  better  development  of  the  three :  body,  mind 
and  soul. 

This,  then,  is  the  golden  time  in  the  de- 
velopment of  man.  Not  too  plastic,  as  in  the 
previous  period,  he  is  still  shapable.  To  this 
time,  I  believe,  should  be  applied  the  clearest 
thinking,  the  most  perfect  skill;  and  at  this 
time  is  determined  the  future  physical  effi- 
ciency and  probably  that  of  the  mind  and  soul. 
Mistakes  made  then  continue  more  or  less 
through  life.     Fine  work  by  teachers  gives 


i68      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

larger  results  than  before  or  after.  Our  fu- 
ture man  or  woman  at  that  period  reaches  the 
domain  of  the  athletic  director,  if  fortunate, 
whose  work  is  often  of  more  real  value  than 
that  of  all  the  other  pastors  and  masters  to- 
gether. 

How  great  is  the  burden  laid  on  this  direc- 
tor! If  the  valiant  young  heart  be  overtaxed 
in  a  fiat  race,  in  jumping,  or  a  boat,  damage  re- 
sults that  may  be  irreparable. 

The  director  is  always  between  the  devil 
and  the  deep  sea. 

He  has  at  his  command  to-day  only  the  two 
systems :  systematic,  mechanical  exercises,  and 
the  competitive  method  with  its  dangers. 

A  fine  attempt  has  been  made  by  the  prin- 
cipal of  a  New  York  public  school  to  intro- 
duce the  competitive  principle  into  systematic 
exercises  but  with  only  partial  success. 

Life  and  growth  depend  upon  the  stream 
of  blood  which  passes  from  the  heart  to  all 
parts  of  the  body  and  returns.  When  that 
river  ceases  to  flow  we  depart  to  another  form 
of  existence. 

Likewise  all  growth  of  the  boy  or  girl  de- 


FOR  PARENTS  169 

pends  upon  this  current  of  blood.  Every 
particle  of  the  future  150  pounds  must  be 
picked  up  at  the  factory  where  it  is  made  and 
delivered  to  its  destined  place.  If  not  there 
is  no  growth. 

We  know  that  the  heart  can  do  only  part  of 
this  work.  It  must  force  outward  the  life-giv- 
ing, the  body-building,  stream;  but  to  insure 
the  perfect  delivery  of  each  particle  to  just 
the  right  place  and  the  return  of  the  blood  to 
the  lungs  for  refreshment,  the  whole  muscular 
system  is  employed.  If  that  is  unused  the  de- 
sired work  is  badly  done,  and  according  to  the 
measure  of  its  non-use  largely  follow  the  com- 
mon defects  in  general  health  and  growth. 

When  the  best  results  are  obtained  there  is 
for  at  least  fifteen  hours  each  day  of  the  child's 
life  a  constant  kneading  by  all  his  muscles. 
When  you  forbid  the  boy  or  girl  to  wriggle,  or 
be  restless,  you  are  interfering  with  this  proc- 
ess or  some  other.  Man  has  been  described  as 
a  system  of  tubes.  The  tubes  are  useless  if  the 
currents  do  not  properly  flow  through  them 
and  the  gallant  heart  cannot  do  the  work  alone. 

The  same  process  takes  place  with  the  food 


I70      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

eaten,  which  is  shortly,  or  should  be,  made  into 
a  liquid  to  be  propelled  to  the  needed  places. 

During  later  periods  of  life  this  perfect 
circulation  of  the  two  streams,  the  blood  and 
the  food,  is  not  of  such  pressing  importance,  as 
only  the  growth  acquired  has  to  be  maintained. 
There  is  not  the  need  of  constant  movement,  of 
a  ceaseless  action  of  the  muscles.  The  grown 
man  may  live  very  comfortably  as  an  in- 
ert, pompous,  slow-moving  mass.  He  is  not 
driven  for  exercise  to  wriggle  or  fidget. 

It  is,  however,  clear  that  in  this  second  pe- 
riod of  life,  1 2-1 6,  we  should  think  of  all  ex- 
ercises with  regard  to  their  effect  on  the  mus- 
cular action  which  aids  these  two  moving 
streams. 

So  of  the  heart,  we  know  it  to  be  of  supreme 
importance  that  before  maturity  it  should 
never  be  overloaded,  and  the  muscular  system 
that  aids  the  heart,  the  methods  by  which  the 
two  streams  are  assisted  to  do  their  work,  we 
may  know  a  lot  about. 

Muscular  action  is  brought  about  by  stim- 
uli :  physical,  mental  and  moral.  To  save  time 
I  omit  discussion  of  the  nerves,  glandular  sys- 


FOR  PARENTS  171 

tern  and  metabolic  processes,  and  roughly  pass 
over  development  conditions  to  get  to  what  I 
propose.  The  stimuli  commonly  used  are: 
The  physical  need  the  boy  or  girl  feels  for 
motion,  vanity,  ambition,  discipline,  etc.,  ef- 
fect of  heat  and  cold  on  the  skin,  light  and 
darkness  on  the  eye,  sound  on  the  ear,  etc. 

Now  to  obtain  the  best  success  at  12-16  we 
must  use  all  the  stimuli  possible. 

If  you  simply  beat  a  boy  and  thereby  ob- 
tain muscular  activity  on  his  part  you  will  not 
get  the  best  result.  The  competitive  system 
is  better  than  the  mechanical  for  it  employs 
more  stimuli.  Of  the  two  streams  I  have  de- 
scribed, that  of  the  blood  is  the  more  impor- 
tant. The  digestive  stream  can  be  and  is  often 
supplied  with  good  material  from  poor  food 
poorly  prepared  and  circulates  fairly  well. 
But  if  the  blood  is  not  distributed,  if  inert 
matter  clogs  the  system,  all  fails,  no  good  re- 
sults are  attained. 

What  we  are  trying  to  do,  therefore,  between 
twelve  and  sixteen  is  chiefly  to  aid  or  direct 
these  processes.  How  ignorant  a  view  it  is  to 
consider  that  the  book  knowledge  then  ac- 


172      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

quired  is  the  principal  matter.  There  are 
long  years  ahead  in  which  the  boy  or  girl  may 
learn  at  any  time  that  X  plus  Y  equals  some- 
thing or  other,  but  very  few  in  which  the 
building  work  of  his  heart  may  be  well  done. 
All  the  factors  of  the  body  are  tied  together. 
If  the  teeth  decay  digestion  is  impaired,  and 
impaired  digestion  accelerates  the  decay  of  the 
teeth.     So  there  is  infinite  action  and  reaction. 

Now,  I  submit,  it  is  clear  from  the  forego- 
ing that  while  all  exercise  has  an  effect  on  the 
organs,  any  exercise  which  would  extend  and 
compress  the  arm  and  leg  systems  of  muscle 
and  at  the  same  time  strongly  employ  those  of 
the  trunk  and  abdominal  cavity  would  best 
meet  the  conditions  for  circulation  of  the  blood 
stream  and  the  digestive. 

Running  has  its  chief  effect  from  the  waist 
down.  Baseball,  except  for  the  pitcher  and 
catcher,  very  little,  except  spiritually.  Ten- 
nis is  very  good.  Its  drawback  is,  it  pulls  on 
one  side  and  is  not  abdominal  enough.  Rid- 
ing not  enough  from  the  arms.  Boxing  and 
wrestling  very  good,  but  the  danger  here  is 
that  competition  may  overstrain  the  immature 


FOR  PARENTS  173 

heart  and  neither  can  be  taught  in  classes. 
It  has  been  my  good  fortune  in  Mexico  dur- 
ing ten  years  to  know  and  study  intimately 
over  twenty  acrobats  of  12-16.  This  is  what 
I  found.  I  saw  people  disregarding  pretty 
much  all  the  common  ideas  of  physical  train- 
ing and  indeed  knowing  almost  nothing  of 
them  and  yet  obtaining  a  result  with  their  chil- 
dren on  the  physical  side  vastly  superior.  I 
at  once  asked  the  question,  how  do  they  do 
it?  These  twenty-odd  children  were  profes- 
sional acrobats,  some  of  them  of  the  first  class 
working  in  circuses.  They  lived  in  the  rough- 
est way.  In  a  country  where  yellow  fever  was 
endemic  they  knew  nothing  of  and  never  used 
mosquito  nets.  Ptomaine  poisoning  and  ty- 
phoid fever  had  no  terrors  for  them.  Few  of 
them,  as  I  remember,  had  been  vaccinated. 
Care  of  the  teeth  or  eyes  not  thought  of. 
And  they  never  had  anything  the  matter  with 
them.  Why?  Only  one  reason  can  be  given : 
the  quality  of  the  exercise,  for  no  one  asks  from 
a  boy  or  girl  so  much  physically  and  morally 
as  the  professional  acrobat.  Their  parents 
and  masters  are  driven  by  necessity  to  develop 


174      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

the  muscular  control,  courage  and  constancy  in 
these  boys  and  girls  of  12-16,  so  that  they 
can  do  very  difficult  things.  Topmounters 
must  be  boys  or  girls,  or  their  weight  would  be 
too  great.  A  3-High  mat  act  must  end  with  a 
double  air-turn  down  to  the  Understander,  or 
some  feat  equally  difficult,  otherwise  the  act 
has  no  standing  and  cannot  obtain  regular, 
highly  paid  employment.  In  no  one  of  our 
schools  is  there  a  boy  12-16  who  could  do  that 
double  down  at  all  times  and  under  all  condi- 
tions and  never  miss  landing  squarely  on  the 
Understander's  shoulders.  Or  if  he  does  miss, 
go  back  and  get  it  certainly  the  second  try. 
Three  tries  are  seldom  permissible.  A  series 
of  failures  would  ensure  the  discharge  of  the 
whole  act.  Furthermore,  no  system  at  pres- 
ent in  use  so  prepares  the  schoolboy  physically 
that  he  could  safely  be  taught  to  do  such  a 
feat. 

Rain  or  shine,  under  all  conditions,  the  boy 
must  be  able  to  do  his  difficult  work. 

It  is  not  that  school  boys  lack  the  strength. 
They  have  not  the  developed  valour  and  the 
nerve  control  of  their  muscles.     Also  the  boy 


FOR  PARENTS  175 

acrobat  must  have  a  perfect  digestive  set. 
Otherwise  he  could  not  endure  the  poor  food 
and  unsanitary  conditions  of  his  life. 

One  of  these  boys,  Kame  Sugimoto,  at 
twelve  could  and  did  always  such  feats.  He 
was  not  naturally  physically  remarkable.  I 
have  seen  boys  in  the  schools  with  a  far  better 
inherited  endowment.  He  did  possess  an  ex- 
tra high  degree  of  courage. 

I  acquired  the  confidence  of  the  parents  or 
bosses  and  the  path  was  easy  to  the  liking  of 
the  boys  and  an  intimate  study  of  them  and 
their  ways.  You  may  say,  why  do  these  acro- 
bats not  attain  the  desired  end  through  rowing, 
tennis  or  riding  a  horse  or  bicycle?  Of  these, 
as  to  nerve  control  the  nearest  approach  to  the 
effect  of  acrobatic  work  is  given  by  the  bi- 
cycle. In  rowing  little  balance  is  demanded. 
In  tennis  a  little,  but  in  bicycle  work  more. 

An  acrobat  would  smile  if  you  proposed  to 
give  his  boy  the  necessary  circulation,  digest- 
ive power  and  nerve  control  by  means  of  these 
exercises. 

He  knows  that  none  of  them  would  prepare 
the  boy  so  well  as  his  own  method.    Whereas 


176      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

the  schools,  for  lack  of  a  better  method,  have 
to  use  these  games. 

There  is,  moreover,  in  the  schools  a  greater 
difBculty — the  lack  of  time. 

One  effective  hour  a  day,  five  or  six  days  in 
the  week,  of  acrobatic  exercises  will  bring  you 
to  your  object.  With  these  other  methods 
used  at  present  three  to  four  hours  a  day  are 
needed  for  an  equal  result. 

This  is  not  practical  in  a  school  for  lack  of 
time  and  because  it  is  most  difficult  to  sustain 
the  interest  of  the  boy  of  12-16  for  so  long  a 
period. 

To  retain  it  for  the  time  employed,  at  pres- 
ent the  whole  machinery  of  influence  and  ex- 
ample of  the  competitive  system  is  required. 

In  the  amateur  acrobatic  work  I  have  de- 
scribed, when  interest  flags,  a  performance 
with  such  circus  atmosphere  as  is  within  the 
compass  of  the  school  is  sufficient.  A  simple 
feat  described  in  circus  language  as  the  ^^fiery 
hoop  of  death"  will  stimulate  the  boy  at  once. 
Then  it  may  be  said,  granting  such  benefit  is 
possible,  How  can  the  work  be  done?  A 
school  of  three  hundred  boys,  giving  perhaps 


FOR  PARENTS  177 

2(X)  between  12  and  16,  would  necessarily  be 
divided  into  twenty  classes.  Four  hours  only 
may  be  utilised  as  school  life  is  at  present  ar- 
ranged. That  would  require  five  competent 
teachers.  My  answer  is  that  if  the  benefit  is 
as  great  as  I  think  it  is,  three  times  that  num- 
ber could  in  time  be  provided. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that  a  better 
method  be  found  than  our  present  one  and  I 
hope  I  have  shown  that  in  this  way  may  be  ob- 
tained a  far  superior  development  and  yet  be- 
tween 16  and  20  the  best  of  the  competitive  sys- 
tem may  be  utilised. 

The  professional  acrobat  would  smile  again 
if  you  proposed  to  him  to  train  his  boys  as 
boys  are  trained  at  any  good  school.  He 
knows  the  school  systems  are  incompetent; 
that  a  boy  so  trained  could  not  earn  his  liv- 
ing as  an  acrobat  and  runs  considerable  risk 
of  irreparable  damage  when  he  attempts  to 
learn  difficult  feats.  He  also  knows  how  to  do 
for  his  boy  what  was  done  for  him,  and  he 
proceeds  to  do  it.  In  competitive  athletics  a 
start  is  made  the  wrong  way.  The  soul  is 
moved  and  then  the  body  is  trained  to  obtain 


178      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

its  object,  whereas  the  body  should  be  evenly 
developed  before  spiritual  stimulus  is  applied. 
The  boy  is  worked  up  to  desire  to  win  a  flat 
race.  He  trains  and  forces  his  body  to  pro- 
duce the  necessary  speed.  Here  we  encounter 
the  difficulty  of  strain.  His  body  is  very  lit- 
tle developed  and  unevenly  developed.  It  is 
easy  to  injure  it  at  12-16,  demanding  effort 
from  one  set  of  muscles  and  nerves  out  of  pro- 
portion to  the  development  of  the  others.  As 
nearly  all  the  training  practical  in  his  limited 
time  is  given  to  the  legs,  arms  and  lungs,  there 
is  peril  of  damage  to  other  sets  of  muscles  and 
nerves,  say  for  instance  in  the  digestive  tract. 
I  think  this  happens  more  often  than  is  sup- 
posed. The  injury  when  done  is  not  easily 
located  in  a  growing  boy.  Every  one  under 
such  circumstances  unconsciously  conspires  to 
conceal  it  or  lay  the  blame  elsewhere. 

Hence  in  these  two  theories  of  athletic  train- 
ing which  practically  cover  the  field  of  school 
and  college  training  we  are  up  against  great 
difficulties.  On  the  whole  the  competitive  is 
the  better  system  because  it  trains  also  the  soul 
and  therein  is  much  gain.     But  considered 


FOR  PARENTS  179 

from  the  point  of  a  real,  fine,  even  develop- 
ment of  the  growing  man  both  are  rather  ab- 
surd. Drill  calisthenics,  systematic  methods, 
all  presently  reach  the  point  at  which  the 
growing  man  revolts.  He  detests  the  whole 
business  and  ceases  to  gain  more  than  a  very 
little  benefit  from  them. 

Just  why  this  is  so  I  suppose  cannot  yet  be 
clearly  explained.  Most  teachers  sooner  or 
later  reach  this  conclusion.  These  exercises 
are  successful  with  the  majority  only  in  so  far 
as  they  can  interest  the  soul.  In  military  drill 
something  may  be  done  with  the  aid  of  uni- 
forms, flags,  guns,  mass  movements,  the  stimu- 
lation of  the  attractive  side  of  war,  but  with 
the  other  forms  very  little  is  attained. 

How  does  a  contagious  germ  disease  begin 
in  the  boy  or  girl? 

Children  are  constantly  exposed,  as  germs 
of  disease  are  everywhere.  As  long  as  one  is 
in  perfect  condition  the  chance  for  a  lodgment 
of  germs  is  much  lessened.  The  student 
should  be  not  only  well,  but  happy,  bursting 
with  health  and  the  joy  of  life.  Moreover,  a 
lowering  of  condition  is  apt  to  be  marked  by  a 


i8o      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

cold  which  prepares  the  ground  for  more 
trouble.  But  the  boy  acrobat  by  his  training 
exercises  is  kept  always  in  perfect  condition  in 
regard  to  the  two  streams  and  therefore  never 
has  a  cold  and  never  is  in  shape  for  germs  to 
lodge  and  flourish.  As  I  have  said,  he  "never 
has  anything  the  matter  with  him." 

It  would  take  an  expert  bacteriologist,  two 
or  three  in  fact,  to  keep  one  child  from  contact 
with  germs,  so  the  only  practical  method  of 
fighting  disease  is  to  strengthen  the  defence  of 
the  body. 

So  here  we  are  led  right  back  to  the  value 
of  the  training  I  propose,  as  more  easily  main- 
taining perfect  condition  in  the  time  we  have 
than  any  other  I  know,  for  as  you  go  through 
the  list  of  sports  you  find  that  all  we  use  have 
their  defects.  It  is  quite  true  that  using  all 
these  the  director  could  obtain  an  all  round  re- 
sult and  sometimes  does,  but  in  this  he  is  gen- 
erally barred  by  the  limit  of  time. 

The  directors  know  how  they  are  hampered 
in  this  respect. 

Therefore  it  is  desirable  to  seek  some  way 
that  in  a  limited  time  will  do  thoroughly  what 


FOR  PARENTS  i8i 

should  be  done.  It  is  agreed,  I  presume,  that 
it  is  our  duty  to  try  to  develop  devotion  to  the 
ideal,  valour  and  constancy  in  defeat,  there- 
fore w^e  are  driven  to  the  competitive  system  in 
the  end,  but  I  maintain  that  this  may  be  put 
off  until  after  sixteen.  By  that  time  the  brave 
heart  is  better  able  to  sustain  its  burdens  and 
by  this  acrobatic  system  of  training  wq  will 
have  constantly  aided  the  heart  and  the  entire 
body  to  attain  a  better  development. 

I  found  the  popular  ideas  incorrect  that 
acrobats  are  especially  selected  children,  espe- 
cially endovsred  or  that  they  are  acrobats  by, in- 
heritance. Undoubtedly  the  very  best,  doing 
the  most  dangerous  feats,  are  of  the  second  or 
more  generations,  but  any  kind  of  an  ordinary 
boy  can  reach  a  tolerable  or  good  level  if  prop- 
erly trained.  I  have  observed  that  their  cour- 
age, hardihood,  circulation  and  digestion  are 
all  far  superior  to  such  qualities  in  boys  not 
so  trained  in  the  schools.  I  came  to  these  con- 
clusions after  some  five  or  six  years'  study  of 
boy  acrobats  and  later  knov^ledge  has  con- 
firmed it.  Necessarily  I  have  to  present  these 
conclusions  in  the  form  of  an  opinion,  but  I 


i82      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

may  add  that  I  have  studied  boys  of  12-16  dur- 
ing thirty  years  and  in  five  countries. 

Practically  speaking  the  school  puts  the  boy 
at  a  more  or  less  dangerous  feat  with  but  little 
training.  The  acrobat  trains  him  first  and 
then  sets  him  at  dangerous  work.  Clearly  the 
latter  is  the  better  plan. 

I  then  reached  this  conclusion:  The  pro- 
fessional acrobat  or  trainer  has  a  better  system. 
He  turns  out  a  boy  ready  to  learn  difficult 
feats  with  a  better  digestion,  circulation, 
muscle  control  and  valour  than  the  same  boy 
can  attain  under  the  school  system ;  while  mus- 
cular strength  is  a  little  better  developed. 

A  similar  training  to  that  by  which  he  pre- 
pares a  boy  or  girl  may  be  substituted  for  what 
the  1 2-1 6  pupil  does  now  in  the  schools.  The 
student  of  16  so  trained  will  be  more  evenly 
developed  and  hence  will  do  better  work  after 
16  in  competitive  athletics.  The  effect  on  the 
pupil  of  improved  digestion  and  circulation 
between  12-16  will  be  marked.  Immunity 
from  disease,  more  solid  and  hardy  bodies  may 
be  expected,  but  whether  or  not  better  and 
quicker  results  in  getting  the  boy  into  college 


FOR  PARENTS  183 

may  be  looked  for  I  do  not  know.  Theoreti- 
cally the  boy  will  do  better  mental  work  if  he 
has  a  better  digestion.  Increased  valour  and 
endurance  he  will  not  obtain  from  such  modi- 
fied acrobatic  training,  since  it  is  not  proposed 
nor  is  it  practical  to  attempt  dangerous  tricks 
or  prepare  to  do  so.  Such  qualities  he  must 
obtain  as  he  does  to-day  from  competitive  ath- 
letics. 

To  illustrate  the  force  of  the  charm  this  sort 
of  acrobatic  work  has  for  the  12-16  period, 
I  might  explain  that  of  the  five  classes  I  have 
trained  at  different  times  and  places  in  none 
have  I  had  the  advantage  of  disciplinary  au- 
thority. Attendance  has  been  purely  volun- 
tary. Obedience  could  be  enforced  only  by 
the  threat  of  dropping  the  boy  from  the  class. 

To  any  one  who  knows  the  changeable  na- 
ture of  the  12-16  period  this  I  think  is  a  most 
convincing  proof  of  the  great  value  such  fas- 
cination has  in  obtaining  steady  physical 
drill. 

A  child  cannot  be  taught  to  walk  or  allowed 
to  play  without  risk  of  injury.  These  risks 
are  encountered  because  it  is  the  wiser  course 


i84      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

— abstention  from  them  brings  about  greater 
harm. 

The  risk  of  injury  in  present  systems  of 
physical  training  is  understood  and  is  either 
minimised  or  accepted  properly  as  a  part  of 
the  price.  In  considering  this  element  of  risk 
in  a  new  method  the  writer  decided  to  apply 
two  tests: 

For  the  elementary  system  with  which  this 
book  deals,  as  a  standard  of  comparison,  the 
risk  of  injury  to  an  active  boy  of  same  age  slid- 
ing down  the  banisters  of  a  staircase.  For 
more  advanced  work  at  14  on,  the  risk  in  a 
canoe  for  a  boy  who  has  learned  to  swim  or  in 
a  football  game  for  a  boy  who  has  been  well 
taught. 

Everything  here  given  is  believed  not  to  ex- 
ceed these  standards.  Many  agreeable  and  in- 
teresting tricks  have  been  tried  and  rejected 
solely  for  that  reason. 

This  system  is  recommended  emphatically 
for  12-16  for  another  reason  that  it  is  nearly 
impossible  to  use  it  during  16-20  unless  the 
subject  has  already  been  so  taught  during 
12-16. 


FOR  PARENTS  185 

As  shown,  an  imperative  need  of  12-16  is 
motion  which  need  this  plan  thoroughly  satis- 
fies. Pupils  practised  five  times  a  week  for 
an  hour  will  be  found  to  be  in  a  state  of  rest 
balance.  Other  activities  will  be  used  and  en- 
joyed but  there  is  not  that  feverish  restlessness 
found  in  the  under-exercised. 

It  is  a  combination  of  directed  exercise  with 
the  spiritual  interest  that  satisfies  best  and  en- 
ables the  body  to  grow  along  the  lines  of  devel- 
opment most  needed  later.  The  muscles  are 
developed  which  permit  an  erect  carriage,  ex- 
panded chest,  deep  breathing,  the  noble  phys- 
ical attitude  toward  life,  fearless  and  unafraid 
because  sufficient  oxygen  is  absorbed  to  nour- 
ish the  soul,  if,  indeed  that  is  the  explanation. 

Such  valuation  of  the  noble  physical  atti- 
tude, the  fearless  upright  pose  is  not  as  it 
might  appear  a  sentimental  or  artistic  concep- 
tion. In  practical  work  when  attained  it  will 
constantly  prove  to  be  of  genuine — sometimes 
of  very  great  value,  during  the  process  of  turn- 
ing the  12  year  old  into  a  hardy,  balanced,  dis- 
ease proof  individual  at  20,  enduring  and 
physically  efficient. 


1 86      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

There  are  many  factors  to  be  watched ;  one 
may  not  fix  the  attention  alone  on  this  but 
a  balanced  body  possessing  developed  deep 
breathing  is  among  the  values  of  the  first  rank. 
The  best  in  life  is  for  the  young  in  heart,  the 
strong,  the  brave. 

I  do  not  assert  that  an  erect  carriage  insures 
a  courageous  soul  any  more  than  a  college 
course  insures  an  education. 

But  it  may  powerfully  contribute  to  it  and 
in  the  business  of  education  the  wise  lose  no 
chances. 

Let  us  take  for  instance  a  school-boy  of 
twelve  of  what  one  may  call  average  physical 
endowment. 

His  digestion  is  fair  and  goes  on  well  if  the 
conditions  are  observed  of  good  well-cooked 
food  eaten  regularly,  and  a  sufficient  supply 
of  sugar,  warm  clothing,  baths,  dry  feet,  plenty 
of  sleep  and  good  dental  work  plus  a  happy 
life. 

Every  now  and  then  he  has  an  attack  of  ca- 
tarrh, occasionally  a  cold.  At  times  he  is  ob- 
viously run  down;  the  shadows  in  the  face  are 
darker;  his  nervous  system  shows  instability. 


FOR  PARENTS  187 

Interested  people  think  he  has  been  working 
too  much,  that  is  studying,  and  lay  it  to  the 
school.  At  other  times  he  reacts  and  is  very 
well  and  vigorous.  Should  any  of  the  neces- 
sary favourable  conditions  fail,  exercise  be 
lacking,  "there  is  no  one  to  play  with,"  "this 
place  is  dead,"  and  so  on,  he  probably  ac- 
quires a  pathogenic  germ  and  has  a  serious  ill- 
ness from  which  he  may  or  may  not  emerge  or 
may  recover  with  a  permanent  defect  of  some 
kind.  Perhaps  he  swims  poorly,  is  caught  in 
an  accident  and  needs  for  escape  every  grain  of 
fight  his  soul  and  body  should  be  capable  of, 
but  lacking  one  or  two  grains,  possibly  due  to 
a  backward  gland,  a  tablet  records  that  on  a 
certain  date  "Richard,  Beloved  son  of  two 
ignorant  people  who  did  not  give  him  the 
training  he  needed  for  such  an  emergency, 
passed  to  the  heavenly  mansions."  But  all 
this  is  not  on  the  tablet. 

If  he  scratches  through  such  crises,  in  due 
time  he  reaches  the  16-20  period  into  which  it 
is  not  my  purpose  to  follow  him,  with  a  foun- 
dation physically  and  morally  for  what  takes 
place  then,  which  at  the  best  we  can  only  de- 


i88      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

scribe  as  fair  and  attended  by  the  assured  con- 
viction of  his  parents  and  masters  that  they 
have  turned  out  a  good  job. 

Let  the  same  lad  of  twelve  fall  into  the 
hands  of  a  fine  professional  acrobatic  trainer 
such  as  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  watch. 

After  that  happens  proper  mental  develop- 
ment for  the  boy  is  conspicuously  lacking,  sen- 
timentalism  and  sentiment  are  absent.  In  an 
atmosphere  of  rigid  exact  performance  of  very 
difficult  feats  he  shortly  acquires  a  perfect 
digestion  and  circulation.  Conditions  as  to 
food,  clothing,  regular  sleep,  are  of  little  im- 
portance because  he  now  has  a  body  that  mas- 
ters conditions.  Life  is  happy — fully  of  inter- 
est. Immune  to  disease  germs  he  proceeds  to 
that  complete  control  of  the  muscles  by  the 
brain  seen  only  in  a  perfect  animal,  to  a  hardy 
courage,  and  a  patient  endurance,  and  he  en- 
ters upon  the  16-20  period  as  a  joyous  prince 
into  his  rightful  kingdom  of  which  God  made 
him  heir,  or  could  so  enter  if  he  had  the  men- 
tal training  also,  with  which  the  acrobatic 
trainer  does  not  concern  himself. 

And  a  touching  figure  Richard  would  make 


FOR  PARENTS  189 

at  first,  for  this  is  a  life  of  exacting  specialism, 
grim  and  Spartan.  Unless  you  can  do  what 
is  required,  you  are  of  less  than  no  account. 

No  home  chorus  supplies  a  rose-coloured 
atmosphere  of  excuses,  praise,  pride,  interest 
in  his  least  accomplishment.  If  he  cannot  do 
the  thing,  no  one  cares  that  ^^he  tried  so  hard," 
^^he  is  so  disappointed,"  "he  has  been  at  this 
for  so  long."  A  more  one-sided  life  than  that 
which  Richard  leads  in  a  gentle  home,  but 
with  the  tremendous  advantage  that  the  phys- 
ical foundation  which  ought  to  be  the  first  care 
at  12-16  is  superbly  attended  to. 


So  my  problem  has  been  to  prepare  a  sys- 
tem, as  the  outcome  of  the  foregoing  theory, 
which  would  do  the  work  of  calisthenics,  put 
off  competitive  athletics  until  after  sixteen, 
maintain  the  vivid  interest  of  the  pupil, 
shorten  the  time  required  for  daily  practise; 
do  this  without  using  expensive  plant,  simplify 
the  work  so  that  the  instructor  need  not  be 
either  acrobat  or  athlete,  and  devise  attractive 
work  simulating  that  of   professionals,   but 


I90      AMATEUR  CIRCUS  LIFE 

eliminating  the  risk  and  the  draw-backs  of  the 
professional  life.  This  has  been  done,  and  I 
have  had  the  opportunity  to  test  this  system 
five  times  v^ith  classes  of  six  to  ten  for  from 
six  to  twelve  weeks  for  each  class. 

You  parents  who  possess  jewels  of  inestim- 
able value  upon  whom  to  lavish  your  devo- 
tion, what  then  will  you  give  to  assure  your 
beloved  a  more  perfect  physical  equipment  for 
the  battle  of  life! 

The  price  to  be  paid  is  an  intelligent  com- 
prehension of  the  principles  herein  set  forth, 
and  a  patient  application  of  these  training 
methods.  For  in  the  final  summing  up  the 
matter  lies  in  your  hands. 


THE  END 


pKnnnrD  nr  thh  tTKrnB>  states  ot  ambbioa 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


This  book  IS  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


24l/lay57BJ 


rEC'D  ld 


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J0N111958 


9  im  8  0 

BCC'DLB   JAN  9 


73  -1  PW 1  6 


LD  21-100m-6,'56 
(B9311sl0)476 


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